Requiem of Darkness
by Asanohoshi
Summary: After Cheddar, Seras accepts the prospect of being a No-Life Queen, but it seems like she's bitten off more then she can chew when she meets the soldiers of Hellsing. Chapter 5 now up for my long-suffering fans!
1. Prologue

My Second Fic is about to begin… mwaha… And an update of my first fic, TTOE, should be around soon.

Incidentally, Hellsing got me into smoking cigars… have been for four years… :D

Just a bit of author related trivia….

Oh, and I live in London, so a London based fic should be a lotta fun…

Just so you guys know… I usually decide a title at the end of the story… but… I'll name this for convenience…

Enjoy my first Hellsing Fic.

Asanohoshi.

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Prologue: Requiem of Darkness

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The moon shone red over London. Not the usual pale red of a moon after a sunset, or a moon graced by a pink found on silk. This moon was the colour of blood. The same crimson, and one could almost smell it. The sound of pale moans permeated the quiet night air, along with the sound of tearing flesh and the occasional gunshot. A dark and cruel laugh echoed throughout the grand buildings that made up the popular area of Trafalgar Square. Unusually, the street was empty of people, and was lit up by the full moon's glare.

A body fell to the floor in tatters. The remains of many others lay in death on the cobbles. The Lion Statues that flanked Nelson's Column were caked in blood; organs and intestines littered the ground like large, steaming worms. In the center of this horrific scene, surrounded by bodies was a figure. One could call him a man, but he was much worse. He simply stood there, looking at the moon. He was of a tall, slender build and his black mane of hair fluttered in the spring breeze. He was wearing a black linen suit jacket of a Saville Row cut, and he bore black leather boots over his old-fashioned suit breeches. He wore a bright white shirt, with a red cravatte tied under his collar. Over this was a bright red trench coat, and a pair of white dress gloves, which were marked with pentagrams. Within the circle, written in black letters were the words _"Hell's Gate arrested (Gott Mitt Uns) and Shine Heaven now"_. The figure surveyed the destruction through crimson sunglasses. Behind them, blood-red eyes glittered malevolently as his lips parted into a wide, cruel grin that revealed nearly inch long canines.

He stared around, taking in the sight of the corpses surrounding him, taking in the sight of blood, gore and internal organs, which were broken up by the glittering of spent casings from what could have only been a rifle. A bright red brimmed hat was also there, soaked in the surrounding blood. The man threw back his head and roared with laughter, and lifted his arms up slightly to look at the weapons he carried. Both were Semi-Automatic Handguns of enormous size. The barrels looked capable of firing rounds of immense size and power, and the slides on both were held back and displayed empty breaches, signifying a temporary pause in their reign of death.

He grinned with a lust for blood, war and death, then pressed the magazine eject pips on the side of both grips, causing the two large magazines to slide out with a long, drawn out grating sound as dark as Hell's gate opening. Both spent magazines hit the floor with a loud metallic sound, a testament to their weight. The man's eyes glowed; two new magazines were slowly raised from inside his coat as if by some sorcery, and slammed home into the magazine ports of both guns with a loud metal chink. He moved his thumbs to press down smoothly on the slide release catch, causing the slides of both guns to slam forward. He then holstered his formidable weapons, and pulled a phone from his pocket. He dialed a secure number, and then waited for the scrambling and encryption signals at both ends to handshake. A rather brusque individual greeted him at the other end after the handshake was complete.

"What news?"

"The Ghouls were an easy, pleasurable kill…"

"That was not what I wanted to know," interrupted the voice harshly, "Servant, I do not need an account of your perverted bloodlust, or your sickening pleasure. Tell me… have you completed your mission, Alucard?"

Alucard laughed long and hard, his undead sides almost hurting from his amusement.

"The Mission has been completed…" he said in his most cruel and sadistic voice, "All targets and collateral have been effectively silenced… My Master…"

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"Good. Get back to the manor…" spoke a woman into the phone she held to her ear.

"Yes, Master…"

The woman placed the phone back on the receiver, and leaned back in her armchair. She held out her hand, and an elderly gentleman who was dressed in suit trousers and a waistcoat placed a cigar in it. He wore a monocle over one eye, and his medium length jet hair was held back in a sheer ponytail. He turned to eye his Master in amusement and with a knowing look in his eye.

"The servant bothering you again, Sir Integra?" He said, barely concealing a grin with one of his hands.

The woman turned towards him rapidly, her long blonde hair flying in the breeze before settling on the shoulders of the green suit she wore. She adjusted her glasses further up her nose with her right hand, and her glare was replaced by a grin as she looked at her butler.

"You know Alucard… He always tries winding me up." She fished in her pockets for a few seconds, before her butler offered a light to her. She looked at him in surprise, then took his offer, lighting her Cuban Panatella with it. She took one long drag, her eyes taking on a dreamy look, and then released the fumes from her mouth.

"I never knew you smoked, Walter." She said in a relaxed tone.

"I have taken a liking to the fumes of your cigars, My Lady… and took to Liberty of purchasing a box for myself." He said with a smile, taking a silver cigar case out of his pocket and lighting up a Cuban.

"I hope you don´t mind my joining you, Sir Integra?" he asked with his solid, dependable smile.

Integra gave him her first genuine smile in several days, "It´s always a pleasure to have company Walter; especially when it involves one´s pastimes…"

Walter´s smile turned to a slight frown, "Speaking of pastimes, there have been disturbing reports of someone, or something, with a rather sick pastime in the villade of Cheddar. Reports say that eight CID members were sent to investgate, in order to avoid panic, but even their disguises did not prevent them from disappearing… of a sorts…"

Integra´s eyes took on a weary look, "Duty calls, I suppose… When do they want us."

Walters eyes showed amusement once more, "They say they can handle it on their own… should we inform them of their folly?"

"No… I think it´s time the Police learned of how important we are… What actions will they take, and what resources will they employ?"

Walter turned to look out of the window at the full moon, "They are going for a direct assault involving the Armed Police unit. And they mean the big guns… Only unit available was a Heavy Assault TROJAN Unit… Maybe they´ll succeed… who knows…"

Integra scoffed at this, "They´ve done nothing more then send those highly trained troops to their deaths, and provided more servants for the Vampire there, if that´s their strategy…"

"I couldn´t agree more… Let´s head there when Alucard gets back… That´s what I advise at least… they might listen when we tell them the full Gravity of the situation…"

"I agree… prep the helicopter… Alucard should take no more than fifteen to twenty minutes to get back, and I want support vehicles ready yesterday, so hop to it! We´ll show those scum that we will not tolerate them infecting our society!"

Walter laughed softly, "As you wish, Sir Hellsing… as you wish…"

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End of: Requiem of Darkness

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Looks like it´s a short prologue. The first chapter should be longer… I´m just so tired…

Doesn´t matter. I shall be writing the First chapter soon!

Review and tell me what you think!

Ja né!


	2. Of New Life

Author´s note. Looks like I´m gonna start this sooner than I thought… It´s kinda fun to write even though I have to get up tomorrow at six and work at a goddamn Brasserie…For all those at EHL… the passerelle is nuts...

For all those pedantic people, this is the fic for you. When writing, I consider EVERY WORD I write in order to have th correct effect on my readers. Please read it with the level of intensity that I put into it. Thank you.

Here is the first chapter of Requiem of Darkness.

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Chapter One: Of Life Anew...

AKA: A Perfect Night for a Bite to Drink...

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Seras Victoria ran through one of the four small streets of Cheddar, which was engulfed in pale moonlight. So far, they had not encountered any resistance, but she knew they would eventually. Why else would a unit of their size and strength be sent in? No, she knew that she would definitely need to be prepared for the worse. She cocked back the slide of her FiveseveN, smoothly sending the high dispersible 5.2mm round into the ring of the breach. She knew that twenty rounds were more than enough to end the lives of any targets that were rash enough to start a hostile movement on her position. Even with the extended magazine, the pistol weighed little, as she was not of a weak stature, contrary to her build.

She ran to the town centre, where a crude statue was at the centre of a medium sized roundabout. There, she opened the packs at her hips and checked them thoroughly. She had her normal medical supplies ready, along with another 2 mags of regular 5.2mm rounds, and 1 additional mag of 5.2mm hollow-point rounds. That was all a medic needed to survive in the field, considering the enemy would be worried more about Stan´s 7.62mm M-60, or Lee´s M4 carbine (AN: if anyone got the teammates intended tribute, well done). She put away her supplies, and took a large swig from a bottle of water. This was her first rural mission, and it took a lot of endurance, due to the difference in distances involved when compared to urban missions, which usually took place within one building, not ten square hectares of countryside. She replaced the bottle, and waited for her teammates. She knew she would have at least a twenty minute wait on her hands as she was the most fleet-footed in her team, but she could use some time to calm down.

The moon cast her into pale light, revealing her bright blue eyes, with more innocence then would be expected of a law enforcer trained to kill. Her Blond hair glowed pale in the moonlight, and the statue almost dwarfed her median height of just over five and a half feet. She was dressed in a Blue BDU, and wore a simple flak jacket over this, perfect for a speedy medic like herself. Her supplies were small, and easily fit into the pouches attached to her jacket. She wore above ankle combat boots with steel pointed toes, and smooth G.R.I.P gloves on her hands, with only the thumb and trigger finger bare on either hand. She had opted out from wearing her Trident goggles, due to the full moon, but now she wished she has them on, as shadows seemed to lurk in every corner. Her eyes constantly darted from cottage to cottage, rooftop to rooftop and shadow to shadow. She was frightened; she didn´t want to admit it, but it was true

_Where is my team__ Why aren´t they here yet... I hope they´re Okay..._

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"Stan, get over here!" shouted Lee, his blood boiling.

Stan came jogging as fast as he could into the clearing. They had arrived back at their APC, and it seemed that someone was playing games with them. However, the area seemed different. There seemed to be some malevolent presence hovering over the vehicle. Stan Cocked the huge bolt lever of his Tactical M-60, and Lee flipped the safety off his M4; it made a satisfying click as the internal gas system flipped to full auto.

The two experienced men looked at each other, and then nodded. Their days in the SAS together had honed their skills to a level rarely reached by soldiers; something that could only be obtained by putting your life on the line over and over again. Instantly they knew something was wrong, and that a fight awaited them. Stan headed to the left of the APC, and Lee to the right. They then broke into quick bounds, turning to face the inside. The steel doors had been torn off. That was the most unremarkable part of the scene, as Lee had seen Stan rip the hatch off a tank in the Gulf to save the people inside. The thing that truly sent shivers down their spines was the claw marks that had punctured the metal inside the APC. It was obvious that no human had done that, and the two veterans knew from survival training that no animal alive was strong enough to do that.

"Goddammit..." whispered Stan, "Ah neaver thaught Ah´d see this outsidda Theatre or Film..."

Lee did not answer, but turned on the flashlight attached to his M4. The scene in front of the made both men gag. It was their team, torn apart by the looks of it. Two of the men shifted a bit, and another groaned in agony, apparently roused by the flashlight´s glare. Lee´s eyes widened in horror as he saw that the groaning man had had his lower jaw roughly torn out, and blood was steadily trickling down his neck, staining his uniform and pooling on the floor. The other man was wounded seriously, but his body was intact. Stan sighed, and grabbed a morphine syringe from his belt pouch and jammed it into his comrade's neck, making sure not to pierce his tongue, which was now uselessly hanging like some superfluous bloody rag. That was all that could be done for him. Stan knew that not even he could survive in that condition. He then turned to tend to the wounds of his other, less injured teammate, all the while letting Lee light up the interior with a flashlight. Stan cut his teammates sleeve off, and blood started to pour out. He hurriedly took the sleeve and placed it hard over the injury. His friend started to squirm, but quieted down after a morphine injection. Stan turned to Lee, urgency in his eyes.

"Bruk two glow-sticks and leave ´em ´ere! And give me yer KFS, I need to cut some bandijjes and perform some basic serjery! While Ah´ma doing that, get Kitten! She has the Hemostatic meds, and the NFA injections!"

Lee nodded and ran off. Even with just a few bandages and a Knife, Fork and Spoon, he knew that Stan would keep the bleeding to a minimum. He lifted his radio and switched to Medic channel 2.

"This is Archon 4-8..." he began _Ahh__ .fuck radio Chatter_, "Kitten, are you there, this is Lee!"

"I can hear you Lee! What´s wrong?!" Lee had to smile... She was such a dear...

"We need you immediately! There´s some injuries that need your tending!" Lee reported.

"How bad is it?" she asked, her voice sounding breathless.

"Well, let´s just say I had to give Stan my KFS..."

"Shit..." she said, "How many times have I told him not to use cutlery to perform medical operations. Lee, you know better!"

"I couldn´t stop him Kitten, it was too serious!" Lee retorted.

Seras sighed, "Where are you?"

"I´m heading towards cheddar by the east Road, I´ll meet you halfway and lead you to him!"

"Right!" said Seras, before switching off communications.

Lee internally grimaced. If the captain weren´t dead, he´d have been chastising them for speaking colloquially over the radio...

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He ran and ran for at least ten minutes, then saw that he was a few hundred meters from the meeting point. He arrived at the meeting point... He grinned, of course Seras was there first, not even breathing hard. She had obviously had time to regain her breath. Her face was grim, and even her eyes had lost their enthusiasm. He had only seen her like this once before, when her boyfriend was killed when they were on a mission. She was so young and innocent then, and she was so young and innocent now. He pitied her, knowing an old campaigner like him has to be slightly dead inside. He stopped his inspection of her and looked into her eyes.

"It´s too late for Robbie... but we can still save Steve." He said solemnly, "Follow me."

She simply nodded and obeyed. They ran together for maybe ten minutes, and then Lee stopped suddenly. Seras stopped and looked at him inquiringly. He simply looked around his surroundings, and then lifted his M4 to his shoulder.

"Take cover, Seras" he said in a harsh voice filled with grim professionalism. He watched as Seras leapt behind a tree, all the while drawing her FiveseveN. He smiled, and looked into the trees at the other end of the clearing. Strange beings shambled towards him, and they were armed to the teeth. He grinned and raised his voice to them.

"Stop where you are. This is the Police!" he bellowed. His calls were met with silence, and the strange figures walked forward. He fired a burst that send a mixture of blood and grey matter flying from one of the heads of the enemies. It fell to the ground in silence, and it´s colleagues did not falter in their measured, shambling advance. He fired all the rounds he had in that mag into the approaching horde, but still, they advanced on him. He whipped out the mag and dropped it, and in the same motion thrust his hand into his pocket, removing a fresh magazine filled with glittering brass. He slapped it into the port at the fore of the trigger guard, and pressed on the bolt release catch in one smooth motion, sliding the weapon´s machine parts forward.

He was halfway to raising his trusty weapon to his shoulder, when it was knocked from his hands with tremendous force, and was sent flying to the opposite end of the clearing. One of the creatures – there was no other word to describe them – bit deep into his left arm, crushing through muscle and sinew with powerful jaws. Lee cried out loud, before unholstering a strange looking handgun from his belt. He put it to the creature´s head and fired; the force of the shot completely decapitated the creature. He then tore away from the approaching mob and leapt to the other end of the clearing, grabbing his rifle, rolling across the floor, and firing every round into the group, but to no avail. He then grinned, and pulled the trigger of the front mounted tactical M203 grenade launcher, obliterating the entire group. He then took out his pistol – he was out of rifle rounds – and opened it. A single spent shotgun shell was then discharged, which he promptly replaced with a fresh one. After this, he collapsed.

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Seras waited till the sounds of gunshots and the explosion died down, and then peeked from behind her hiding place. She had full confidence that Lee would be safe. She did not expect to see him lying on the floor, bleeding profusely from his left arm. The young Police Girl ran up to him, and jammed a full syringe gun into his arm. She pulled the trigger, releasing the contents of the NFA injection into his veins. She looked at his arm and smiled. Already the Nanomachines in the NFA syringe (Nonotech First Aid) had begun slowing the bleeding from his wound. He looked up at her and opened his eyes, watching as she discarded the old needle for a new one, and reloading the gun.

"How many left?" he asked weakly.

She looked at him with a sad smile on her face, "enough... enough to save everyone."

"Thanks again Kitten... Looks like you saved my Bacon..." he laughed weakly.

"Don´t talk... I´ll bandage you up..." she said softly, bandaging his wound. She then stood up, placed her equipment back in her medical pouch and turned to look in the direction those "things" came from. Maybe Stan and Steve were in danger!

"We should get going if we´re going to save Steve..." she said without turning, her beautiful face illuminated by the moonlight. She turned to face Lee, "Can you stand... oh..."

Lee was standing up, facing her, his face hidden by the shadow of the tree he was under. He appeared to have trouble standing, and his breathing was hoarse and haggard. He moved forward slowly towards Seras.

"Oh good, I was worried, now let´s head to..." Seras stopped speaking when Lee´s face was illuminated by the moonlight...

He was horrifying. His skin had turned a dull grey colour, and his eyes had no pupils or iris, but rather were of a sickly mixture of yellow and white. His mouth lolled open to reveal teeth that were a mixture of rotting black and yellow. He gave off a powerful odour, similar to that of a charnel house. Seras then saw that his wounds were bleeding heavy again, not just with blood, but also a sickly ichor that was the colour of infected phlegm. Seras´eyes widened when she saw his wound bleeding again. Nanomachines only stopped working when the victim died, as it needed to operate along with the control of the central nervous, which used them as impenetrable platelets to stop bleeding and infection.

_The fact that he´s bleeding means that his nervous system is off completely... the __nanomachines__ can even stop bleeding in paraplegics... That means that he´s dead...then how is he standing... and why is he approaching me, a teammate with such malice... even I can feel the resolve to kill in his actions..._

Seras raised her FiveseveN and pointed it at his head. Even with this imminent threat, the creature that was once Lee continued shambling towards the young Police Girl. She looked at him hopelessly.

"Lee..." she whispered. Her only response was a feral groan as the creature closed in on her. She turned and ran, heading towards where Stan and Steve would be.

She approached the APC, and saw three figures standing aimlessly by it. She rushed up to them, knowing they would think of a plan.

"Steve! Stan! Robbie" she cried in desperation. The figures turned to regard her, and she froze in horror. For the figures looked exactly like Lee did after his... transformation... The worst was Robbie. He stood there, looking at her blankly, but he was missing his lower jaw, and the rotting remains of his tongue hung down his throat, and it dangled limply as the three creatures began their unsteady advance towards the young girl. She looked at them, paralysed with fear, unable to move.

"Steve? You guys? It´s me... It´s Kitten..." she said, frightened beyond anything she had ever experienced, "Don´t you recognise your Kitten...Seras?"

Her voice was shaking, and hardly above a whisper. However, somehow she knew that even if she were scream it using the full force of her lungs, these creatures would do nothing but tear her to shreds, feed on her flesh and glut themselves on her blood... She turned to run, but was confronted by the shambling figure of Lee. She raised her FiveseveN once more and fired three hollow pointed rounds at his legs, knocking him to the floor. She then ran past him, back toward the town of Cheddar.

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"What?!" cried the official in charge of the case, "In all my years I have never heard such a huge load of shit!"

Sir Integra sat in a chair, seemingly unfazed by his hollering. She simply took a cigar from the box Walter offered her, and lit in on a lighter that seemed to appear in the stoic Butler´s hand. She was wearing the same suit as before, which gave her a businesslike appearance, though it did not do justice to her looks or her perfect figure. She took one long drag to calm herself down and then regarded the follysome bureaucrat that was fuming in front of her.

"I hardly see what is so difficult for you to understand." She spoke quietly to him, her soft, refined voice filled with authority, "Very well... I shall repeat myself only once. The town of Cheddar is not under the thrall of some serial killer, Psychopath or a mere person with an inclination to perversion. This small village is now under the total control of a vampire, and his minions; undead Ghouls who prey on Non-virgins to increase their ranks. Humans who are not specially trained are no match for them and will undoubtedly end up dead."

"So, if this load of bollocks is true, what do you plan to do about it?" said the Bureaucrat forcefully.

"Hmmph... We have already done something about it. We have sent in our unit." Replied Sir Integra with a small, but condescending smile.

"How many men are in this unit."

"None." She replied, "There is one person in the unit, and that should suffice."

"One person!" the fat, balding man bellowed like she was insulting his intelligence, "You´re telling me that one woman will be enough to take on these monsters?!"

"Just because I said it wasn´t a man does not make the one I have sent a woman." Sir Integra looked serious once more.

"No more riddles!" shouted the man, his face turning a shade of purple that would put beetroot to shame, "Who have you sent on this mission, and why are you so certain of success?"

"Such simple questions to answer..." Sir Integra´s smug grin broadened. She enjoyed winding up pompous bastards with no respect, "And for such simple questions have a simple answer... I have sent..."

The man saw the look in Integra´s eyes, and he was filled with fear. He began to shake his head in terror, trying to will the next words he expected not to leave this enigmatic woman´s lips.

"...a Monster..."

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"What a splendid blood red moon... It´s a perfect night for a bite to drink..."

Alucard crested a small hill surrounded by dense English countryside. He had arrived in this place about ten minutes ago, and was ambling casually towards the sound of automatic weapons and explosives. He walked to a simple clearing in the woods, that looked as unremarkable as one would expect, but something glinted off the moonlight and caught his eye. He looked and saw that it was a strange looking handgun lying in a pool of drying blood, with one round barrel a lot like the muskets he owned in the seventeenth century. He saw that it´s workmanship was splendid, and pocketed it to add to his collection. He then sensed fear, and grinned, realising that one human was still alive in this rural version of Hell. Then, he noticed a black rifle at the edge of the clearing. There had obviously been some heavy fighting here, and from the looks of it, the stray human may have been involved. He carried along strutting through the dense foliage, and came across a strange scene.

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Seras was standing in a clearing facing one of the monsters. From its appearance, it had once been one of the women from the village. It stood there, facing her blankly, and began shuffling towards her in silence. Seras held her handgun in shaking hands, aiming for centre mass. She did not want to kill this mindless, pitiful creature. But, then again, she wanted to live.

"Please... I´m begging you..." she pleaded with the grim figure that approached her, "I don´t want to kill you..."

The figure kept moving towards her, and it was soon within fifteen metres of her. Seras was frightened, shivering and lost her will. She fell to her knees; her gun began to slowly fall from her grip. Then, with a tearing sound that echoed throughout the clearing, the Ghoul was impaled by some spectacular feat of strength. Seras wiped the tears from her eyes, and her vision cleared to show the monster hanging limply. Behind it, was the figure of a man, his arm was completely through the Monster´s chest. The man withdrew his arm with a sickening sound that sounded like metal scraping on flesh, and the monster collapsed onto the floor of the clearing, lifeless.

Seras could do nothing but stare at the man who had just saved her. She couldn´t see his face because his bright red hat cast it into shadow. Her eyes filled with gratitude, but the smile never reached her face; for she now saw the man´s sparkling teeth bared a feral rictus.

"Such a beautiful night, isn´t it..." he said in an almost reverent, hungry manner, "It makes me want to fill the night with the sound of Screams and the taste of Blood! Don´t you agree?"

Seras looked at him, and she saw nothing but death in his eyes; Eyes that shook the very core of her heart and soul. It was almost instinctive; she raised her FiveseveN rapidly, and fired again and again into the man; until she heard a click, and saw that the slide was held back displaying an empty breach. Her magazine was empty. She looked at the man, and saw the bullet holes in his body close up with a sickening noise, much like a plunger. Her eyes once more filled with a horror that only came when confronted by death himself.

"You... You´re not human," she whimpered, and turned and ran towards what looked like a church steeple in the distance.

The man threw his head back and laughed long and hard; it´s menacing sound echoing through the trees.

Seras ran, covering her ears with her hands. But she could not escape, for his voice rang aloud in her ears, like some fell dirge.

_And if I was a man__... a human... __would you have shot me as well, Young One?_

Seras cried aloud in protest, and jammed down on the magazine catch of her handgun, releasing the spent mag; it was lost in the dense foliage surrounding her. She then took out her last magazine of hollowpoint rounds and slammed it home into the port at the base of the weapon. After this, she quickly pressed the bolt release catch on the side of her weapon, sending the slide forward, and placing a new round into the chamber. The Young Police Girl then ran up to the Church, and burst inside, slamming the door shut behind her. She breathed hard, and then a voice greeted her.

"You look troubled my child..." said a voice from the back of the Church, causing Seras to raise her gun, "There is no need for that, here is a place of peace, which my cursed congregation cannot enter..."

A man entered the dim light that pierced the grubby windows along the side of the small Church. He was a tall, slim man with raven black hair cut sheerly. He was dressed in the habit of a vicar, and he approached Seras slowly down the aisle. Seras lowered her gun and replaced it in its holster.

"Oh... Sorry Father... I´m having a horrible night." Seras told him.

"Don´t worry my child... you shall find all your troubles end here... tell me, my child, what is the matter..."

His voice had a soothing, almost hypnotic quality to it, and Seras started to feel woozy and tired. She smiled softly at the priest.

"Well... my unit was sent here in order to investigate a string of murders and disappearances... the primary suspect was the local... priest?" she said in a confused voice, then saw that his smile was replaced by a hungry grin. She couldn´t move... there seemed to be a fog in her mind, and she couldn´t even react.

His smile grew broader, and he gestured. Seras´ feet left the floor and she hovered towards him, right into his out stretched arms. Now that she was closer, she could see that his skin was pale, his eyes yellow, and that he had fangs. He laughed a mere whisper of breath.

"What a delicious little morsel..." he said softly.

Seras looked at him, and slowly forced herself to draw her FiveseveN and place it against the centre of his pale, emaciated forehead.

"Let go... of me... or I´ll... blow your fucking brains out..." she said, her weak voice scarcely above a whisper.

He looked at her with almost a pitying expression, but did nothing. Seras slowly pulled the trigger, sending a hollowpointed round into his head at point blank range. Her face was splattered with blood, and the fluid and tissue of his brain splattered on the church´s cobblestones. Due to her hypnotised state, the recoil caused the gun to fly out of her hand, were it skittered under a pew. However, the man´s hold on her did not relax. His head slowly regenerated, and he turned her away from him, grasping her around the neck with one arm. His laughter grew loud and echoed throughout the empty church hall.

"What an amusing child you are. I´m going to drink every drop of that sweet, fiery blood that flows in your veins, and take your humanity with it," he spoke with s voice filled with cold hearted malice, "but I have no need of a full draculina..."

With that his hands roamed her body, touching her innocent form in places where she had never been touched before. Her weak attempts to resist were no use; she was still under his spell.

He smiled, "I doubt that in this day and age a beautiful girl like yourself is still a virgin, but I have to be sure. So, before I rob you of your blood and humanity, I am going to violate your very being, and I will not be gentle. You will feel my displeasure as I rape both your body and soul..."

Seras´eyes filled with fright, a different fright than before. She was afraid of losing her innocence. Memories from her childhood returned to haunt her, and her mind was filled with foul images of her parents being murdered before her very eyes; the horrors that were performed that night had been buried due to the happiness of working with such a good team of comrades and with the flow of time, but were now at the very forefront of her mind. She hadn´t felt this lost in many a long year. But this time, there was no one to comfort her when she cried. The same gang that had killed her parents had also ended the life of her first boyfriend; the first man to tell her she was special, and the first man to kiss her. She was alone; alone in this dank church in the clutches of a foul beast from Hell.

The Priest´s laugher filled the church, and it echoed through the dark, pew filled hall. The resonating of his laughter did not seem to end; no, on and on it seemed to go in Seras´ head, like some foul bell which called men to the scaffold or the guillotine. His laughter was cut off by a louder sound that threatened to shatter the glass windows and broke Seras from her reverie of nightmares. It was the sound of a gunshot. Both Seras and the Priest looked at the door and saw a huge hole in it. Through the hole, two glowing orange orbs could be seen, along with a grin.

He had arrived...

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Alucard looked into the hall of the dark and dank church, his superb night vision showing him the entire scene perfectly. It was obvious that the Police girl had bitten off more then she could chew. Moreover, the vampire had taken her hostage, not that he cared. His mission was to search and destroy, not save some whelp of a girl still in her teens. He looked at the vampire who was holding her...

He threw back his head with a bark of laughter, "You are so low as to take hostages... my, my... I wonder why I was sent in here to dispose of some trash like this?"

The Priest looked incredulous, "How dare you talk to me like that?! I am an all powerful vampire!"

"Really now..." said Alucard mockingly, "You look like nothing more than a charlatan to me..."

He pushed open the door and slowly walked down the centre of the pew filled hall, his grin widening as he spoke.

"You disgust me. Look at your clothes... you look like some carnival clown. Or tell me, are you being considerate to me and dressing up for you funeral in advance?"

The vampire looked shocked. Here was a mere Human taunting him! He had killed and enslaved fifty people, and now this man was talking to him like a child; it was preposterous. Alucard could see his reaction to what he said and laughed mentally. Oh, he was going to enjoy messing around with this vampire´s mind...

But contrary to Alucard´s belief, the vampire would not let his guard down for a second, but instead turned to him, looked at the crimson coated vampire like he was insane (1), and then simply asked him one question.

"Who... are You?"

Alucard smiled like a wolf looking at a crippled deer, "I am an Assassin, while you are nothing but the lowest level of vampires, one who still has to depend on cheap thrills in order to find solace in his cockroach-like existence..."

The Priest grinned madly and his face started to twitch, "An... Assassin...?"

Alucard simply smiled, "Yes."

The Vampire threw back his head and laughed long and hard.

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He was laughing harder than ever. Why? Because a guy decked out like mad magician was here to "assassinate" him. Oh, this was rich. People had hunted him with rifles, machine pistols and grenades. What could this man do against a Lord of Darkness like himself? Granted, he had only been a vampire for a few years, but even he knew the extent of the raw power at his disposal. He held out his right arm to the side, and movement came from the pews in the shadows of the church. Ghouls; at least forty of them, and heavily armed. This was the small army he had built up in the last few days. He would not even allow this assassin to join their ranks. For his rudeness and folly, he would be annihilated.

The Priest´s smile widened and he simply snapped his fingers, "Kill him."

What followed could only be described as obliteration. Every ghoul fired a weapon at Alucard. The majority of the first bullets penetrated his centre mass, tearing through his ribcage and displaying his organs. The doors at the front of the Church were peppered with shots, sending one of them flying off its hinges, illuminating what the forty muzzle flashes could not with pale red moonlight. The left side of Alucard´s jaw was torn off by a high velocity rifle round, leaving it hanging from his right cheek. Another bullet entered his right eye, destroying the delicate tissue inside, and exiting out of the back of his head, spraying the pews with blood and grey matter. His ribs could be seen protruding from his chest, and the floor below him was stained with dark crimson gore. The remains of his sunglasses fell to the ground by his feet, and it was then joined on the floor by the lower half of Alucard´s right arm; the torn end displayed shattered bone and twitching sinew. Then, slowly, as when a man chops down a great oak tree, Alucard fell to the ground with the horrifying sound of spurting blood and scraping bone.

The Priest burst out laughing, snapped his fingers again, signifying the end of the one sided massacre of Alucard. Then, he regarded the young Police Girl in his arms.

"Now my dear, do you see how useless it is to resist or challenge me? That great hero thought he ad me, and like that I destroyed him. I turned him into mincemeat! Look at his corpse! How pathetic can you ge..."

He stopped speaking when he saw the symbols on Alucard´s gloves glow through the blood and gore that caked them. Before his very eyes, he saw the blood on the floor re-enter the corpse, and then, Alucard stood up. He looked terrifying; a vision of Hell itself. All his injuries were still there, and they were healing at a rapid rate. The organs and gore that littered the floor seemed to melt and become blood; it rose through the air into the vampire´s body, and his wounds closed. The church echoed with gentle laughter as Alucard grinned at the Priest who looked like a man cornered.

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Alucard´s laughter died away, and he faced the Priest, who was staring at him in disbelief. The Crimson coated vampire´s feral grin split his face, his name of "demonic jester" was well earned.

"Looks like your pathetic pawns were no match for me... you worthless maggot... Not in all my years have I seen a more pathetic vision as the one in front of me. A vampire, given the dark gift, relying on ghouls to sate his desires for death. And on top of that, you wear the garb of a Servant of the weak and pathetically merciful God that mortals worship. Oh, what kind of sick joke is this?! I can´t believe that I was hoping to have a duel with a true vampire... Your thoughts said that you would... obliterate me? No, it is I who shall annihilate you, and your foul spawn!"

With that, Alucard reached into his coat, and drew out two enormous handguns. On the side of both Guns read the words "Hellsing Arms .454 Casull". Both Guns were of a beautiful nickelback design, and the only way one could differentiate them was by the small "v2" written on the side of his right handed Pistol. Alucard stopped to admire them for a mere split second, and then proceeded in his fatal dance.

His guns faced his forward and he fired; the muzzle-flashes that emanated from the twin barrel were exceeded only by the spectacular crack that sounded throughout the church-hall and the surrounding countryside. These simple handguns were making a sound that seemed to rival the decibels of a high velocity sniper rifle. In an instant, five ghouls were destroyed, and a sixth stood there blankly with half of his torso blown off. Before anyone could react, the great Vampire had spun and eliminated another handful of Ghouls. Then, the Ghouls began to fire. This was to no avail, however, as the great No-Life King seemed to spin as if in a mere dance, and none of the enemies could damage him, or even scratch his coat. He fired while spinning. He fired again and again until both his magazines were empty. The ghouls were on the floor in pieces. Already, the maggots that had begun to grow inside them were eating away at their flesh, and consuming their rotting sinew. Alucard reloaded his left gun, and put it away.

"Hmmph..." he muttered in disappointment, "Only Ghouls? Where are your familiars? Where is your other form? Where are you familiars?! Or are you just talk?"

The Priest looked for a way out of the situation and called to Alucard, "Th... this Girl! Your human masters would not want an innocent girl to die, would they? If you touch me, she´ll die!"

Alucard´s grin turned to one of disgust, "I am a No-Life King. What desire do I have to save this annoying little child? NONE!"

The Vicar looked at him with eyes filled with surprise and dread, "Then why, why are you doing this! We´re both Vampires; of the brotherhood of the night! Why not let me go, or even better, we could become partners and rule the night together, feasting on pint after pint of fresh blood! Virgin Blood!"

"I do not want any of that... only to serve my Master." Alucard responded in a strong but enigmatic voice. He took a single bullet with a crucifix engraved on in from his pocket, and placed it directly into the breach of his Casull v2.

_The __Casull__ wouldn´t be able to handle this bullet, and I´m not even sure my superior __Casull__ v2 can stand up to it... But, I will destroy this filth... this... pitiful excuse for a Vampire!_

Alucard pressed on the release catch, slamming the slide forward and loading the round in the chamber. He then turned to look at the Vampire.

"This bullet is made from the solid silver of Blessed Cross from Canterbury Cathedral. The tip of the Bullet is none other than the ruby that resided at the centre of the Cross. This will pierce throught both the Girl and you, killing you!"

The Priest looked flabbergasted. This Monster was seriously going to kill him! He began to protest, but the Greater Undead did not hear him. Instead, he spoke to one who had been forgotten, or had yet to speak a word due to her fright.

"Police Girl, listen to me." Said Alucard simply. The young blonde looked at him with the mingled emotions of both hope and fear shining in her pale blue, innocent eyes.

"Police Girl, I am going to fire this gun at the Priest holding you hostage, and it will pierce your lungs and then travel to his heart, killing him. Do you understand?"

Seras nodded numbly, while the Priest bellowed at Alucard with a mixture of anger, fear and sheer desperation.

"Are you even listening to me?!"

Alucard ignored him, and continued speaking to the hostage, "But, I know from your heart that you do not want to die here. So, tell me... are you a virgin?"

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Seras had never been so frightened in her life. She had seen this man being practically dismembered and reanimated, only to have him ask her of her virginity. She did not understand.

That is, until a voice rang out in her mind.

_Do you want to come with me, and live? Both questions, mental and vocal, have the same answer, if you want to live, and are a virgin, say yes. If you want to give up, or are not a virgin, say no. So you know__ there is no force on this earth that will stop me from pulling this trigger. No force to stop the bullet, except me, and I won´t do that. __So..._

_Choose!_

Seras looked at him straight in the eye, and he asked once more.

"Are you a virgin?"

Seras, terrified though she was, screamed as loud as her soon to be destroyed lungs could muster.

"YES!!!"

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Alucard´s grin widened even further, becoming the very rictus of a harbinger of Death. He brought his arm forward, and pressed in the trigger of his superb handgun. The resulting force sent the slide of the gun back, and it came apart from the main body of the gun, narrowly missing his head and showering him in sparks. The bullet flew true, however, and pierced the body of the young Police Girl, ripping a huge hole in her chest. The Vampire behind her flew back, where he was impaled on a candlestick, and vanished into dust...

Alucard looked at the dust that dribbled off the altar onto the floor and grinned once more. He then walked steadily up to the fallen form of the young Police Girl. She was lying there, bleeding profusely from the enormous injury in her chest. He knelt beside her, and looked into her eyes.

"You made the right choice, Police Girl..." said Alucard with a smile. All she could do was nod mutely at him; her strength was failing rapidly.

"This is the part where you close your eyes," Alucard whispered to her, "As I said before... this is a perfect night... A perfect night, don´t you agree...

Seras smiled and slowly closed her eyes; the last thing she felt was the gentle breath of the No-Life King on the smooth skin of her neck...

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End: Of new life; AKA: the perfect night for a Bite to Drink...

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Well, looks like the first chapter is over, and I hope you all enjoyed it. I have already included some Author´s license in it, and I hope it wasn´t too bad. Please Review! All your views on my writing are acceptable! Make them as long as you want, I´ll read them all, and learn, because a writer is only skilled if his audience think so!


	3. Of Second Genesis

Author´s Pre-chapter Rant:

Reader, Critics and Gentles all. We now arrive at the third chapter of the "Requiem of Darkness". There´s not much for me to do except apologise for the delay.

Without further ado, I shall then begin the chapter.

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Chapter 3: Of Second Genesis; AKA "Unfamiliar Ceiling"

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All that could be seen was nothing. Somewhere in her unconscious mind, Seras wondered whether or not this was the embodiment of the first verses of Genesis.

_What did my teacher in school say it was__"__In the beginning there was nothing__"__? Yes... that´s it. Strange how it goes... I´m dying at the hands of a Vampire with a pistol as large as my forearm, and all I can think about is the beginning of all things... I thought that I may think about my deceased father, but no... __Instead__ I think about the Bible... and not even Revelation... which is more suitable as my world is about to end... What a pity... I was hoping to date Barry... oh well..._

_What are these self pitying notions, Police Girl? I favour you with the Dark Gift, a gift many would sell their souls to obtain, and you are thinking about endings and Death... Yes, Police Girl... You are entering a world of Death, but who spoke of endings? __Rather, this is a new Beginning... Your Second Genesis. You are about to enter the world as a being of the highest Calibre, and of the lowest level of Hell. Peace be with you, for you shall not end, but bring the end to others... Hundreds, Millions, Entire civilisations will fall to your wrath, the same way they fell to mine... Now, Rise my daughter. We have much to discuss, and the night is still young..._

The last thing Seras saw were two large glowing red orbs penetrate the emptiness and darkness that surrounded her, and then...

She saw Death, with his glowing Crimson Eyes...

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Seras sat up rapidly, a huge scream leaving her parched, dry lips, and echoing throughout the room and whatever lay beyond. She then looked around frantically, like some cornered rodent. From what she could see, she was in some kind of dungeon. It was lit by only one single candle, whose light was faint and guttural, and it fought a hopeless struggle against the Darkness, which would inevitably conquer it. The walls surrounding her were made of what appeared to be Granite or some other impenetrable rock. The door was made of steel, and looked remarkably heavy. She then started back, seemingly realising for the first time that she was still alive. She raised her shirt to look at her chest area. The large hole from the Vampire´s bullet was nowhere in sight. She sighed in contentment. Just then, a sinister, yet amused voice rang in her mind.

_Hmmm... This is definitely a most interesting spectacle, and I´d love to discuss matters of a more... intimate nature later with such a fine bodied woman, but will you please stop displ__aying your rather large chest to__ me..._

Seras pulled down her shirt instantly, her face as red as a Beet, and looked at the door. There, leaning against the doorframe was the very same man who shot her. He stood there, wearing a simple black suit, a white shirt and a brilliant red Cravatte, and an enormous grin splitting his face almost in two. All she could do was regard this man who had casually blown a hole in her chest. His deep, cruel crimson eyes seemed to flicker and glow with a life of their own, and she saw nothing in them but amusement and a sadistic love of the hunt and slaughter. He walked casually up to the side of her bed, and regarded her curiously, as if seeing her for the first time, and his eyes seemed to lose their terrifying qualities.

"Your eyes... are still Blue?" he asked softly, as if speaking to himself rather than to the terrified Police Girl before him. She could see what seemed like hurt in his eyes, but she could not be sure, as the emotion had left them as rapidly and surprisingly as it had arrived.

"Wh... what´s wrong with that?" she asked nervously, internally fearing his chastisement, and yet simultaneously craving his approval. Yet she did not know why she examined him so closely, or why she held him with such fear, awe and respect. Wasn´t he the man who gave her a second chance at life miraculously? Wasn´t he the man who pulled the trigger that would kill her, with a foul rictus splitting his unholy visage? Maybe these were the reasons. Nothing more, Nothing Less.

"Why have you not fully accepted my gift? Why do you foolishly tell your body to pretend to still be human? You are not human, but a monster now... A creature of the Darkness... No... With my blood in your veins, you rule the darkness! So... Why?" He softly demanded, as if more disappointed than angry.

Her eyes began to feel moist. Why was he treating her like this? All she had done was wake up to this unfamiliar ceiling... This Unknown World...

"Is that all you came to tell me? That I´m a monster? What a nice bloody alarm clock you turned out to be..." she said loudly.

"That´s enough of that, Alucard... Seras Victoria..." came a stern female voice from the doorway. Seras turned to regard one of the most attractive women she had ever seen standing as casually as Alucard had been against the doorway. No... She was standing the exact same way he had been. The woman was wearing a black suit with trousers and gentlemen´s brogue shoes, and under this, a white shirt with a blue cravatte. Her long, lustrous blonde hair was particularly fair, almost white, and she wore it sheerly, the only thing that influenced it´s style was its natural wavelike appearance. She bore a pair of overly large spectacles on her nose, and her deep blue eyes glinted mischievously through the lenses. She wore a gold ring on her finger with a shield crest on it. For all her casual stance, Seras could tell that this woman was a commander, and something deep inside herself was saying that she was this "Alucard´s" officer or leader.

No... It went deeper than that... they both carried themselves in almost an identical fashion, without seemingly being aware of it, and seemed to even dress similarly. Although when she thought in through, Seras realised that dress similarities could be a coincidence, but the body language spoke louder than words. She was witness to two beings connected beyond the human limitations of "Man" and "Woman".

"Alucard, I know you enjoy taunting people, but give it a rest." The woman chided sternly. She then turned to regard Seras disapprovingly.

"Didn´t the MET teach you that first impressions were important? The fact that you are a Draculina is no excuse to display such behaviour. You're still an English gentlewoman, albeit not a human one, so show some manners, Miss Victoria!" Her voice was stern, and sounded like the crack of a whip.

Alucard grinned widely and a laugh escaped his lips, "As you wish... Sir Integra... My Master..."

Seras turned red as a Beet, "Sorry Miss... It´s not every day you get woken up by an apparently invincible and deadly being..."

Alucard turned to her and grinned ferociously, "Why Police Girl... what an unexpected compliment... it pleases me greatly...my beautiful little Nosferatu..."

"But..." Seras could not speak, as Alucard´s intense gaze and enchanting words had paralysed her. She felt a shiver pass down her spine, and run through her entire body. As if to spurn her shivers, she felt the temperature of her face rise, and her breaths came out in short, rapid bursts. Her eyes slowly flickered from Blue to Crimson, and she smiled happily, as if him receiving her unintended compliment the way he did was the most pleasant experience she had felt in her entire life. She fought to calm herself, before her urges to leap upon him took over her reason, but the warm feeling at the pit of her stomach still remained.

"Thank you... my Master..." she said softly in adoration, a tired grin covering her face and displaying inch long fangs. She was shaking as if suppressing something, and the words she had uttered seemed to be the embodiment of the only conscious thought that she could muster. All Alucard did was grin cockily at her, somewhat savouring her internal struggle against her own dark desires.

"Miss Victoria..." said Integra slowly, only to stop as she analysed Seras´s reaction. It was as if she was experiencing some deep, even sexual feelings for Alucard. All the signs were on her face, as if Alucard´s words had, had the same effect as several shots of Vodka. Her dubbing Alucard as "Master" for the first time was a sign that things seemed to be proceeding the way Alucard had briefed her. It may end up being troublesome.

"So, Police Girl..." Began Sir Integra in an amused, yet stern voice, "... if you´ve finished gawking over your Master like some fifteen year old hormonal schoolgirl from a bad television program, I´d like to speak with you about your current situation."

Seras was startled out of her reverie, embarrassment taking over. She looked at the foot of the bed nervously, feeling worse than she had ever done before. Why couldn´t this women leave her with Master... All she wanted to do was to be his Servant. No... his Slave... Her discontent showed on her face, almost causing Alucard and Integra to laugh aloud.

"My name is Sir Integral Wingates Fairbrook Hellsing." She proclaimed as if challenging Seras, "The leader of the Ancient and well respected Hellsing Family. From this moment on you are a member of my organisation of Hellsing, which is dedicated to the annihilation of unworldly monsters that defile God´s creation. There is no negotiating. You must join us, or we will be regrettably forced to slay you, as we cannot have any undocumented Midians out free."

Seras face-faulted at hearing this. Unwordly Monsters? Hellsing Organisation? Midians? This all sounded like a foreign Language to Seras, as she thought that maybe some modern surgery was used to heal her, not some mystical bullshit...

"I don´t understand... First I was on a mission, got taken hostage by a bloody priest, then got asked whether or not I´d like to live, and if I was a bloomin Virgin or not, then got shot in the chest, and after that, woke up in a room with the same sadistic fuck who blew a hole in me, and you, telling me that I´m a Midian, and somewhere along the line of falling asleep and waking up, I signed a Contract to join the Whatsit Organisation... Pardon me for saying this, But I haven´t got the foggiest about what you´re on about!"

Alucard was laughing like a psychopath at what she had called him, apparently enjoying the bit of resistance she was showing.

"Police Girl... your fire will surely be your end one of these days..."

However, Sir Integra did not look amused. Her amused expression had turned to one of anger.

"You will address me as Sir Integra. I am a Knight of the Round Table, entrusted with the leadership of the Hellsing Organisation. Alucard is your Master. By choosing to receive life anew, you must be willing to devote your life to the Hellsing Organisation! Show some respect! When I first saw you, I was about to give the order for Alucard to tear you to pieces, but he chose to request that you live and serve Her Majesty in what little way you can! If you ever show disrespect to me again, the consequences will be dire."

Seras´s eyes widened. A Knight of the Round Table... She was facing a member of an organisation that was not meant to exist, a legend. She was also very much aware that there was a mere 3 or four years difference in their ages. But, then again, how old was Alucard... Age was not something to be bothered with in this Organisation it seemed.

"So, you´re an organisation of Monsters that Destroy Monsters, basically?" asked Seras in a much politer tone.

"No, no... You and Alucard are the only two Vampires in Hellsing..." said a voice from the darkness outside the door, a soft soothing male voice that had a amused tone to it, but displayed nothing of scorn; only kindness... "Other members of the organisation have more conventional talents and circumstances..."

A man entered the room, his shoulders held high, but walking with the grace and ease of a cat. He was obviously a military man, but he seemed to have a sleeker, more professional air about him. He looked to be in his fifties, and had a rather British looking face, with a stiff upper lip and a jaw line that was neither too heavy nor too thin. The fact that his hair was tied back and he wore a monocle may have strengthened this image of being a stereotypical Englishman. He was wearing black dress trousers, with sturdy black shoes. The chain from a Silver Pocket Watch could be seen coming out his trouser pocket, and clipped to a strap on the outside of the black silk waistcoat he was wearing over a white suit shirt and tie. The only things that seemed out of place were his black fingerless gloves, which looked to be made of Silk or some soft, expensive leather. Due to their fingerless state, Seras´s eyes were drawn to the many scars that he bore on his fingers, and she assumed her first impressions of a military background were correct. His deep Black eyes seemed to sparkle with constant delight as if defying their dark, forbidding colouring, and his smile showed that he was confident, kind, and a man one could place complete trust in.

"You see, Young Lady..." He said to Seras in a tutor´s intellectually gentle manner, "The Hellsing Organsation is comprised mostly of Special Forces Personnel. Some of your former comrades were SAS I hear, and you got along very well. I´m surprised that they never mentioned the Hellsing Organisation, even if we did make them sign a secrecy statement. Well, I suppose it was to protect you, because if you let slip you knew about us, you would get to spend the rest of your life either in jail, or in a Crazy Ca... I mean, a Clinic for the Psychologically Different. Damn Political Correctness... These damn lobbyists will be the death of me... Now... where was I?"

Seras giggled slightly at this man´s light and humorous method of instruction. Here she was, nervous afraid and alone, and this man made her cheer right up. She could tell that this was the beginning of a fast friendship that would last for many years.

"Um... you were at the part about my SAS friends not wanting me locked in a... Crazy Cage..." she responded to his rhetorical question, putting emphasis on the last phrase, which drew a brief and light laugh from this strange man.

"A yes... well put, Police Girl..." he responded, "By the way, I do believe that I am being terribly rude here, as I´ve totally forgotten to introduce myself to you! My name is Walter! Walter Dornez, at Your Lady´s service! I am Sir Integra´s Head Retainer and Butler. I am also in charge of Alucard´s Weapons and wellbeing, and now I am in charge of making sure that you fit right in! I will also be taking care of your room, nourishment and weapons! If there is any way I can help you, please don´t hesitate to ask, unless I´m preparing Sir Integra´s tea... I don't want to get that delicate process wrong now, do I?"

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Sir Integra was watching this conversation unfold with amusement, and then turned to address Walter.

"Walter... Did I not tell you to prepare some of the aforementioned tea for me?" She asked with what appeared to be mild curiosity, but to all who saw this, they couldn´t help but wonder whether Walter would be Hung, Drawn and Quartered for this discrepancy...

"Ah, yes... well, I instead decided to come along just in case Police Girl was being scared by some of our more... influential members..."

"You shouldn´t have worried about that Walter, my presence would have been enough to make Alucard cease any foolishness..."

Walter looked slightly hesitant before replying sheepishly, "It was not Alucard´s influence I was worried about, My Lady... This young girl has just come back to life, confused and in an unfamiliar environment, and... you can be rather strict, Sir Integra..."

Seras thought, at that precise moment, that Sir Integra would pull out one of Alucard´s Guns and blow Walter´s head from his shoulders. The silence was long, and the tension was so thick that Seras felt she was actually able to breathe it, or even choke on it. Not even Alucard, who was grinning in expectance of Integra´s seemingly unavoidable detonation, expected Integra to sigh and her expression to soften.

"Maybe you´re right Walter... It has been a long day, with all the paperwork from last night´s incident..." as she said this, she turned to glare at Alucard, as if it was he who was the cause of all her woe. "I´ll turn in early tonight and get some well needed rest. Take this opportunity to show Seras Victoria around the premises, and explain her duties to her, Walter... Alucard, as the only other godforsaken bloodsucker in the Organisation, it is your job to teach her the ways and abilities of your kind, so they can be used for out benefit.

Walter simply nodded and smiled, while Alucard smirked rebelliously at his Master, "Of course I´ll teach her. I do not need your order to do that. After all, she is My Servant, and I am her Master. I will make sure she has the abilities to make me proud. Nothing More, Nothing Less."

Seras once again felt a huge affection towards her Master, and had to fight the terrifying urge to plunge her fangs into his neck and smear her body with his blood. She felt a little sick after; not because of the actions in her fantasy, but because of the very fact that she enjoyed and felt pleasure from thinking about such a horrifying and inhumane action. Alucard seemed to sense this, and his smirk seemed to fractionally widen.

Sir Integra looked tempted to chastise him, but then just turned away.

"Do as you see fit. I want you to report to me when you think she´s ready to fight alongside the troops." With that, she started towards the door.

"Master!" Alucard called.

She stopped and turned wearily to face him, but her eyes never lost their wary look. "What is it Servant?"

Alucard grinned at her attempt to embarrass him in front of his Servant.

"I am here to report that Seras Victoria is ready to join the troops at your discretion."

Sir Integra just turned towards the door, and spoke as she walked. "Don´t fuck with me, Slave, before I put yet another bullet into your skull..."

She continued to proceed through the dungeon and up the stairs, the echoing sound of Alucard´s mocking laughter following her down the hallway. Walter sighed at yet another argument between Master and Servant. He then turned to Seras and smiled.

"Don´t worry, Miss Victoria, they have been arguing for at least eight years now, and it doesn´t seem to be anywhere near resolution. My only small comfort is that only one of them is immortal, so the argument won´t seem to last quite as long as the Day of Judgement..."

"I´m fine, Mr Dornez!" Seras responded happily, "you seem quite effective when it comes to breaking up their arguments."

"Years of practice, Miss Victoria..." Walter said wearily, "... Years of practice..."

"Oh, please call me Seras, Mr Dornez!" Seras stated brightly, not wanting to see Walter looking down, "And I hope we can be friends!"

Walter gave her his typical John-Bull grin and spoke in his brisk, friendly manner, "Then, as friends, it hardly seems suitable to be calling me Mr Dornez! I shall be honoured if you address me as Walter."

"Why don´t you go for Angel of Death, Walter?" Alucard interrupted slyly.

Walter faulted, but then recovered, "Oh what silliness Master Alucard! Don´t be giving an old man such nicknames..."

Seras looked chidingly at her Master, and was rewarded with merely a grin. She smiled at Walter, and then asked curiously.

"How long have I been asleep for? I never even been told that!"

"Since the night before last. Hence, the lot of paperwork on Sir Integra´s desk." Walter responded with a grin.

Seras looked as if she was about to say something, but was interrupted.

"Don´t worry, Servant. The Work keeps her out of trouble."

Walter looked at Alucard, and then surprisingly, he smiled, "I´m afraid I´m going to have to agree with our resident miscreant, Seras. If Sir Integra runs around doing the day to day work, she´d have gone completely bananas by now."

Seras giggled at the image of Sir Integra in a Straight Jacket, and then asked another question on her mind.

"Walter... I´m really famished... can I have some food?"

Walters smile seemed sympathetic, "Ah... It seems there are a few things you have to learn about your current condition, Miss Victoria... Get ready for a long speech. Alucard, would you care to do the honours."

Alucard´s grin grew wider than ever before, and had a dark and deadly quality to it, as if he were savouring some terrible or horrifying event in his mind.

"It won´t take very long Walter," He said to his comrade before turning to look seriously in Seras´s eyes.

"Everything we are revolves around drinking Blood and fearing Silver. That is what most Vampires would profess in their weakness. However, Police Girl... we are far from being "Most Vampires"... I am True Undead! An Elder Nosferatu! A No-Life King! My blood burns through your veins, so you are a True Undead, with all the potential of becoming a No-Life Queen who flies through the very heavens, and who ambles casually through the deepest levels of Hell, as I have. You shall become a Queen of Darkness... No... You will become One with the Darkness, and it shall form your Immortal Visage. Terror and Suffering will become your Bread and Butter, and hot, fresh flowing Blood shall become the very Wine that you gorge on during your Orgy of Death and Despair! Your Burning Crimson Eyes will speak of only one message and that is of Death and Eternal Damnation. You shall become invincible, able to take on Saint Michael and his illustrious horde of Arch-Angels, and your very footsteps shall spurn the Earth you walk on, as it is not worthy to receive you... Your Days will be filled with dreamless sleep, and your nights filled with Slaughter and Murder. The smell of Blood will fill you with exhilaration that mere humans cannot even comprehend with the very fabric of their being, for you will be one who is not of this world... but of the very Darkness in the heart of all things."

As he spoke, Seras felt her abdomen stirring, and she began to gently growl contentedly at all the glory her Master Prophesised. She yet again looked at the No-Life King with Admiration and Awe, as he could only tell her these things after feeling them himself. He was not a mad jester, as Sir Integra believed. He was not in her eyes a Vampire, a True Undead or even a No-Life King.

He was Death, and his face was that of the very depths of Hell itself.

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Walter smiled. It had been a while since he had heard Alucard say anything like this. He felt slightly Nostalgic, remembering his days as Alucard´s comrade. It seemed that the new and improved generation would replace him. He sat down at the table, and then spoke to the awestruck and distracted Seras.

"That vision´s all very well and good, but for a Fledgling Vampire like you, you need to drink blood in order to grow stronger, otherwise you can never become a No-Life Queen. You must drink, Seras Victoria, or you shall stay in your current state forever, and forever... well... that is a long time."

Alucard looked at Seras and grinned sadistically, "When One Blood-pack a day is not enough for you, come to me for training. I shall know if you are truly at that level, not because of my mental link with you. If you are not at the stage where you need two Blood-packs a day, the training will kill you. Simple as that. So don´t rush this, but don´t go too slowly, or you will end up being stuck the way you are now."

Seas looked frightened at the notion of staying weak, and she nodded mutely.

Alucard´s face was a rictus of fell happiness, and he spoke formally, as if to an important person.

"Your Second Genesis begins now, Police Girl... No... Seras Victoria..."

Walter was smiling supportively, and Alucard´s grin had not changed. The looks both of them shared were intense and solid, as gaining a new life was no light matter, even to Alucard and Walter, who had together seen and fought the very hordes of the Undead.

Seras looked from her Master, to Walter and back again. Her Resolve made, she looked at the floor thoughtfully, to think about what information had been disclosed to her in the short time since the beginning of her Second Life... Her Second Genesis...

Then she softly spoke, and her voice sounded like the very whispers of shadows that haunted the night, causing Alucard to Laugh with Joy, and Walter to fall to his knees in reverence.

"I shall become a No-Life Queen... My Master..."

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End: Of Second Genesis...

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That concludes chapter 3 of Requiem of Darkness. I just hope that everyone who sees this will Review, as it is these reviews that both improve my writing technique, and drive me on. Criticism is also welcome.

But, Most of all, I hope you all enjoyed reading this latest instalment.

Thank you, and see you at Chapter Four.

Asanohoshi


	4. Resolve in the Manse of Legend

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fourth Chapter of Requiem of Darkness is about to begin. These chapters have been rather short, but I assure you the later ones will have a lot of substance to them.

Enjoy, and see you at the end,

Sano

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Chapter 4: Resolve in the Manse of Legend.

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Integra stirred uneasily, even though her slumber was still young. She had Collapsed a mere five minutes ago out of sheer exhaustion. She smiled inwardly at the way Walter knew her limitations better than she did; after all, he had been with her as a teacher, guide, assassin and defender. However, more importantly, their duty had gone beyond what was normal. He was a friend, someone she could trust in... Someone who knew her better than she herself did. This came from years of being around her, sometimes for days and nights at a time; he had mastered her schedules, habits, mood-swings and was often the mediator when her Undead servant was harassing her.

She was comfortably drifting back to sleep thinking of simpler times, when she suddenly felt the most horrifying feeling. It was a feeling of awe, fear and majesty... like some unholy deity... She felt as if someone had broken, even shattered, the very chains that bound the lowest level of Purgatory, and let out the Souls of every Murderer, Blasphemer and Foul Being to walk on the face of the Universe. She felt the lost Souls groaning in anguish, as if some terrible portent had been revealed to them. There screams were not of pain, no, for the Souls of Hell and Limbo are used to that onslaught. Nay, their screams were not unlike those of innocent lambs who realise one of their brood was all along, or has become a wolf. It was the cries of those who knew that not only their lives, but their very existences were hanging on scales made of rusted steel and rotting wood, ready to collapse any minute from their fragile support, their final precipice, and fall into the jaws of the beast, where no one would return from. They would be been consumed whole by their ravenous betrayer, who will glut himself on their sinew, flesh and marrow, and drink their blood, diluting its coppery taste with despair and damnation as casually as one would add a measure of water to make a fine dinner wine more delectable. Their screams rose, louder and louder in the mind of Integral Wingates Fairbrook Hellsing, until they reached a climax.

And Lo! The last thing she saw were two large glowing red orbs penetrating the emptiness and darkness that surrounded her, and then...

Integra saw Death, with _**Her**_ glowing Crimson Eyes...

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Sir Integra sat up bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath she had not lost; clutching her chest for wounds she did not have. She was drenched in perspiration, and her normally stoic expression had been replaced with one of the deepest horror and despair, and she felt lost; more lost than when her father died and yet she did not know why.

From around the Hellsing Mansion, screams and bellows of Fright and Dread echoed all around, as if proclaiming a fell doom to the quiet night air itself. She rose from her bed rapidly and reached into her drawer for her .45 Browning. She slammed a magazine filled with mercury tipped rounds home into the base of the pistol grip, and worked back the slide mechanism with her hands, fully loading her trusty weapon. She then ran to the doors of her chambers and carried on through her office onto the large balcony overlooking the Great Hall. She looked around in horror at what she saw. Seasoned Veterans of the Hellsing Organisation lay on the floor clutching their heads and weeping openly, while others were curled up in the foetal position, rocking back and forth in terrified silence. She saw her leading officer, Peter Ferguson forcefully disarm a soldier who had placed his high velocity handgun to his own head, with the full intentions of ending his own life. The Special Forces Soldier was crying aloud unashamedly like a broken child. He then scrambled to his feet and looked fearfully in the direction of the dungeon doors, and bellowed aloud in words that could only have come from the very fibre of his being, as Integra was sure he had no idea of what he was saying; but his soul was screaming forbidden knowledge.

"**No! The Harbinger comes, cloaked in Black and with Burning Crimson eyes! She bears a fell blade of Silver and Diamond in one hand, and a Chalice of Gold and Jade in the other!"** He screamed as he fought Ferguson with all his mind, as if intent on retrieving his lost weapon and ending himself, **"She will carve out our flesh with her blade, and devour it as it still quivers in her talons; She will drain us of all our lifeblood and glut herself with abandon, all the while savouring the feeling of our crushed spirits... our very existences fading! She will roughly hew our manhood and laugh at our humiliation! She will not Kill us, but shall crucify us for all eternity, on crosses made from our very bones, and our intestines and organs shall be the rope that we are bound with... Death is preferable... Life is folly in the face of her... The Herald of all that is Foul and Proud; Evil and Loathsome... End yourselves my comrades! Hasten, otherwise our inheritance shall be forfeit!"**

Ferguson rapped him smartly across the back of the head with the butt of his own pistol. Sir Integra always knew she could count on him to keep his head. He turned to look at her, his grim, battle-hardened eyes streamed tears of despair, and his ruddy and weather-beaten face showed signs of heavy perspiration. He had managed to barely overcome it, even as experienced as he was. Integra heard one of the soldiers who were kneeling down in horror cry out in madness. He sprang to his feet, and looked around like a cornered animal, and he moaned in some unknown language; before anyone could stop him, he drew his sidearm and emptied the whole magazine into his grouped comrades. They fell to the ground, writhing in pain as shots hit them in the chest and legs, and blood stained the floor of the Great Hall of Hellsing. Ferguson fell to the floor as a round pierced his leg, and he cried aloud in pain. The soldier who fired upon his own comrades in madness did not stop there. No sooner than his gun was empty, he dropped it to the floor as if it were cursed, and wrenched a grenade from his belt, and pulled out the pin. He clutched it to his breast and ran towards the heavy bronze doors that led to the dungeon. As soon as he reached the gate, the explosive went off, creating a huge dent in the doors and destroying the intricate mosaic around them. The smoke cleared and Integra´s eyes widened in shock. The man's limbs lay strewn around the ground, and gore painted the walls.

Some of the men, either due to their wounds, or the almighty explosion, seemed to regain their senses. The highly trained soldiers swiftly analysed the situation, and then proceeded to knock their maddened comrades roughly over the head. The situation seemed to be calm, and only then did Sir Integra retire to her quarters, and took a new suit out of her antique Armoire.

_Yet another sleepless night... I´ll shave Alucard´s head if he had anything to do with this..._

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Seras sat on the edge of her bed, taking in all the word of wisdom her Master had given her. He had informed her of wonders that made her shiver in delight. She would walk the night and all men would give her way. No-one would think her the weak kitten... Not after this... She looked up quickly; her thoughts interrupted by the sound of an explosion from somewhere in the Mansion. She then noticed her Master with a proud look on his face, and saw Walter on his knees, bowing to her. His face was drenched in perspiration, and his eyes still let tears fall. Seras looked at him curiously, and then spoke.

"What´s wrong, Walter?" she said in a concerned voice to her new friend, "Are you alright?"

He looked at her with shock in his eyes and with fear evident in his cautious movements. He slowly rose to his feet, as if expecting retribution for his very movement. He seemed to try and collect himself, and traces of warmth began to fill his cheeks once more.

"I am fine, Seras," he said in a slightly shaking voice, "But did you not feel anything?"

She looked at him with an unfathomable expression. She felt left out; as if she had missed out on something important. She was about to ask what he was talking about, when Alucard laughed manically and grinned at Walter.

"You know she cannot feel it Walter... Remember the Death´s Head? Or has age taken your memory too?"

Walter grinned his typical John Bull and responded sardonically, "No, I remember quite clearly Alucard... Yet it seems that eternal life has its flaws, as you seem to have forgotten your manners. Well, I suppose being sealed away for fifty years with no-one to talk to but your ever-charming self was bound to have some small effect on your etiquette... "

Alucard laughed out loud, "Having fought the True Undead in Single Combat, you have had your share of soul scarring moments... You seem surprisingly collected after being a rare eyewitness to The Resolve... I wonder how the rest of the Manse has fared..."

Walter looked thoughtful for a minute, "Judging from the sounds upstairs, the effects seem dramatically milder than those at Wolvenstein. Thank God for that..."

Seras had politely listened throughout, but couldn´t take it anymore, "Sorry... Just what the Bloody Hell are you people on about? The Resolve? Death´s Head? Wolvenstein? What are you talking about?"

Alucard grinned almost as if pitying her, "I shall explain only one of those, and it is the former. The last two, I fear, shall be answered in due time."

Seras looked disappointed, but didn´t complain.

"The Resolve, as you quite rightly picked up, is something remarkable. It happens very rarely, and when it does, there are usually huge consequences."

Seras looked fascinated and asked, "What causes this resolve? Is it a feeling or..."

"No." Alucard simply interrupted her, "It is not, ´this resolve´, or ´his resolve´ or ´Her resolve´. It is The Resolve. Humans feel resolve every day of their lives, as do both those of Heaven and Hell. But it is not The Resolve. The Resolve is a moment when a vampire realises what it is to be... what its true potential is."

Seras nodded in understanding, but then looked confused, "Hang on... you said it was really rare. But, if Hellsing is only for destroying Vampires, then... they must be pretty common, so this resolve thing must happen often!"

Alucard shook his head, "No. Only True Undead can cause The Resolve. There are other undead than Vampires in this world, but it is still rare. Walter here is one of only five or six mortals to ever witness The Resolve. And worst of all, he has been privy to that honour over ten times."

Seras remembered Walter´s expression from before. It was as if he had just escaped from the brink of madness. Yet he had experienced it over ten times... Her respect for Walter rose dramatically, and she smiled happily, proud to have him as a friend.

"But Master," she asked in a confused manner, "I don´t understand what happens because of The Resolve... and why do we even have it? Is there any point to it?"

Alucard smiled and thought of how to respond, as if he had never even though about a potential reason for The Resolve... He then looked Seras in the eye, and smiled.

"No."

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Integra walked briskly down into the dungeons alone despite her men´s most strenuous objections. Even when Ferguson had offered to personally escort her, she simply told him to tend to his men. She looked around her constantly; her eyes were alight with dreadful anticipation, and her ears strained to hear even the smallest sound in the dark and cavernous hallways. She had never experienced a feeling so terrifying since Alucard had awoken in that dungeon. She had seen Purgatory, and it frightened her. She lived in the same house as the No-Life King himself, and yet she was terrified by a dream. She had to get to the bottom of this, and she was sure that the answer lay in Seras Victoria´s room. Every part of her body and soul told her to stay away, to flee. Her very mind seemed to want to overcome her control and fly from the dungeons, even to end her life with the pistol she gripped. Anything but enter the room.

She shook off the feeling and entered by the still open door to find Seras and Alucard talking. Walter sat in a chair, his face looked weary and his eyes flickered as if he would lose consciousness at any moment. Seras and Alucard had fallen into silence. Integra decided to take the opportunity.

"Explain yourself, Servant." She said, leaving no room for argument in the way she phrased it.

Alucard raised his head to regard her mutely, a strangely serious expression on his face.

"I shall. This works out better, as I won´t have to repeat myself. I have started explaining to Seras that she has just had The Resolve."

Integra´s eyes widened in terror. She had studied this topic with her father, and they had both concluded that it was highly improbable, because only True Undead were capable of it...

"But... you don´t mean..."

"Yes, My Master. Seras Victoria has the potential to become True Undead. She has decided to become a No-Life Queen."

Integra looked from Alucard to Seras, her face showing every bit of astonishment and chagrin she felt. She had never thought that anything like this would ever happen to her organisation. After all, having one True Undead present was rare and frightening enough, but two... It was unheard of; there must have been some kind of mistake...

"I don´t understand Alucard..." she began shakily, not trusting her ears for a minute. Alucard noticed her hesitation and smirked in derision.

"What is there to misunderstand, Sir Integra? Seras Victoria, our newest member has the potential to become True Undead... a greater Nosferatu that even Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies himself would be afraid of... Why are you not filled with joy? What is this horror you are feeling? You should feel exultation and ecstasy! A member of this "Legendary and Illustrious" Organisation is a Greater Vampire, a Midian! Our foes shall fall like leaves in a Hurricane..."

Integra did see what Alucard was getting at... If she was to take a city the size of London and populate it with Ghouls and Vampires, she knew Alucard could destroy it, and kill every being within its walls with his bare hands... But having two True Undead in the same organisation... It was unimaginable... even having two True Undead in the same country and both in the same time period was rare. Her face did not calm, even with Alucard´s reassurances. She was shaking all over. Her father had told her that many died or killed themselves because of The Resolve occurring. She had seen a fully trained Special Forces shock trooper commit suicide in her very Manse. She knew there was only one thing to do, even though it pained her to do so.

Alucard was watching her internal struggle with amusement showing in his eyes. Integra was reacting this way when she knew there were two True Undead in her midst. Wait till she found out about Hellsing´s other little project... He was but a gatekeeper, as a father must guard his son. He could tell turbulent times were coming... Seras´ arrival seemed to be perfect timing. He turned away from his thoughts and let a cocky smirk cross his lips and he looked down on the frightened Hellsing.

"Hmmph..." he said in disgust, "I never thought I´d see you sink so low... Sir Hellsing. Are you really the same person who defied me when she was just a twelve year old girl? You told me to "be Silent", as I recall... You told me you´d never give in the face of a monstrosity like me... even as I was poised to rip your head from your very shoulders... Where has your courage gone... Sir Integra Wingates Fairbrook Hellsing?!"

Integra´s eyes burned at his words, but then were replaced with regret. She slowly raised her eyes to look deep into Alucard´s. He saw sadness in her eyes and on her face, and his grin slowly fell.

"I´m not frightened anymore..." she said softly, "I was just hoping this wouldn´t happen. Now we have to seal her..."

Alucard´s eyes widened in shock. Her reason for being afraid wasn´t unfounded, as he had studied the human mindset in detail. But no matter how much he studied them, they still surprised him. From what he could tell, it was understandable for humans to fear the sealing ritual. But she was afraid of the pain Seras would be in. Even though Seras was a Vampire, Integra regretted having to seal her and cause her pain. Alucard smiled gently, and took her chin in his long, elegant fingers. His eyes stopped glowing red, and he looked in her eyes with his deep onyx ones.

"You humans greatly interest me... You are always full of surprises... And other vampires wonder why I stay a servant here..." he told her gently.

She looked up at him and smiled, "That still doesn´t solve the problem of sealing"

Alucard grinned, "We don´t have to do it now. Remember, you asked me to train her. If you seal a fledgling, she will never grow. Sealing a True Undead like me does not impact our ability to improve and grow. Wait till she becomes a No-Life Queen."

Integra nodded, seeing the wisdom in his words. She rose and turned to leave the room. Without looking back, she spoke.

"Walter, after any further discussions are finished, please show Miss Victoria around the Mansion, and we can wait till tomorrow to introduce her to her new team. Meanwhile, I have to write a letter to someone´s parents..."

Walter nodded, knowing what she meant, before turning to Alucard. He was greeted with the sight of a strangely thoughtful Midian seemingly analysing his fledgling. Seras was either feeling uncomfortable, or enjoying his scrutiny, as her face was turning bright red once more. He smiled, knowing he wouldn´t be received well for interrupting, but orders were orders, and the discussion seemed to be over.

"Seras, seeing as that all this is over; I will show you around the Mansion. Alucard, anything you´d like to add before we go?"

Seras was giving Walter a highly annoyed look, and rose to follow him from the room. She could feel her master´s eyes on her, and it excited her. She followed Walter down the dark and seemingly endless corridors that led to the ground level of the Hellsing Mansion. Somehow she was able to memorise the way, and grinned to herself... It was obvious that her Vampiric state had enhanced her mind, making it sharper and more able. She filed this information away in her head, hoping she could use it to some advantage.

They reached the imposing iron doors that led to the dungeon, and Seras pushed them open. She was greeted by a scene that she would never forget. Blood stained the floor, and organs littered the ground. The blood seemed to glitter in the light with a life of its own. Seras felt her eyes seem to focus on it, and nothing BUT it. Her breathing grew short, and she wished her master was here. She would serve him the blood in a chalice, and blush at his kind words. She would offer her own veins to him in order to sate his desires. It was a fairy tale situation in her mind, and her undead heart beated faster and faster. Soon all she could hear was the blood pumping through her veins, and all she could think of was the blood on the floor. She knew she had to have it... every last drop of it.

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Walter had thought they would have cleaned this mess up. Good help was hard to find these days it seemed... He turned towards Seras to apologise for the mess, and his eyes widened. It was sometimes hard to forget that the charming young woman he had befriended was a Nosferatu... She was shaking as if suppressing something, and he saw her eyes flicker. He knew what could happen. Her eyes were like a sign of sanity, a way by which to clarify her thoughts. He looked closely as they flashed, knowing that the remaining soldiers in the room were curiously, and in some cases, sexually, glancing at this beautiful young woman who seemed, in their eyes, merely flustered by the blood in front of her. He knew how they would react, so he watched her internal fight as if his life depended on it. In a very real way, it did.

Redblueredblueredblueredblueredblueredblueredblue...red...blue...red...blue...red...

...Red.

Walter´s eyes widened in fear. He turned to the men standing in the hallway and shouted for all of them to leave immediately, as fast as their legs could carry them.

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Seras felt her breath get short and haggard. In some faraway place she heard Walter shouting, but it did not concern the blood. Her vision was sharpening and blurring alternatively, and she felt entranced by the blood. All of a sudden it seemed like she could see every drop, every detail of the gore in front of her. Then, seemingly unbidden, an image of her old teammates flashed through her head, covered in blood. She considered kneeling down and lapping up the large puddle on the floor, but something fought it. Her vision suddenly returned to normal, and she felt a little sick. She turned to her companion and smiled as if nothing had happened.

"Well, looks like someone forgot to clean up after training," she said as if it was none of her business, "Let´s go Walter, I can´t wait to look around this place!"

She proceeded to walk past Walter. His surprised gaze followed her while she walked and he smiled. It was surprising to see her resist that much blood, but he was relieved. The troops had experienced enough tonight with just The Resolve. Seras seemed more and more interesting to him, and she seemed the complete opposite of Alucard. It was going to be pleasant having someone to talk to. He was drawn out of his thoughts by a voice.

"What´s wrong Walter? Aren´t you going to give me the grand tour?" Seras asked curiously.

Walter nodded and walked ahead of her, while gesturing to the stairs, "This is the main hallway of the Hellsing organisation. At the top of the stairs is the office of Sir Integral Wingates Fairbrook Hellsing. She is the lovely and cheerful young woman you were speaking to earlier in your quarters. Let´s have a look for ourselves, shall we?"

With that, he walked up the stairs briskly towards Integra´s office, with his young charge following with a slightly more hesitant pace. It was not every day you caused such an uproar and then got dragged into your boss´s office. It seems that Hellsing was going to be a very different experience than any other organisation she had been a part of... And she thought the Met was difficult. She´d never battled the forces of the Undead... She looked up at the plain wooden doors before her. At least on this aspect the organisation seemed normal, even if it was just a door. She seemed to mentally grab anything normal and hold it close, seemingly comforting herself... She felt as if at any time she might be approached by some evil entity, or with fear, just like how she was afraid of the Vampire at Cheddar. Walter approached the door and knocked.

"Sir Integra... I´m showing Miss Victoria around the mansion, would you care to be the first stop on our merry tour?"

"I would care for you to bugger the hell off Butler! I´m in no mood to see the chattel!" Sir Integra´s bellow could be easily heard from behind the door, and it echoed throughout the main hall.

Walter turned to Seras, who was looking like a petrified sheep, and gave her a gentle bow, "I am awfully sorry Miss Seras... it seems that Sir Integra is rather busy... perhaps later we could come here, but for now, let us adjourn..."

He knew the explanation was pointless, as half the manse heard Integra´s loud retort, but he hoped it would calm Seras down. He smiled when he saw Seras visibly relax and simply nod at his suggestion.

"But... Walter... where will we go?" she asked curiously. The mansion seemed so huge, and if this enormous room was merely the Great Hall...how big was the rest of the Mansion. But wait... she just remembered that she had the convenience of her own personal Tour Guide. She turned to Walter and smiled sweetly.

"Ummm... Walter... Exactly how big is this Mansion?" she asked in a curious manner.

Walter almost stood to attention before he answered, but managed to stop himself, giving himself the look of a schoolboy standing in class to ask a question. This elicited a giggle from Seras.

"The mansion itself is not your standard Tudor E shaped one, but resembles the square and elegant build of a French Chateau. It has two squared turrets on each side. The main manse is perhaps the size of a small castle. The entire compound is around 150 hectares or so. Is that a satisfactory answer?"

Seras just stared at him in wonder. She was in such a huge place, and to top it off it was the home of a top secret organisation owned by one of the Knights of the Round Table. It was amazing, but made stark sense given her current... condition...

"Ummm... Walter," She asked in a slightly awed and hushed tone, " How old is this place?"

Walter looked thoughtful for a moment, as if counting in his head. He smiled slowly, and then turned to Seras , "This place, or the organisation?"

What was this new development... _What does he mean... is the organisation younger than the building or what?_

"This Building, that firstly..." she asked offhandedly, trying to hide her insatiable curiosity.

Walter grinned, seeing her tactic and ignoring it, "This Building has been around for 400 years, from the days of old. It has always been the headquarters of the Hellsing Organisation."

"But I heard the organisation is barely a century and a half old." Seras contradicted gently.

Walter laughed softly, and looked at Seras with his overly bright eyes, " Ah yes... that is how old the current incarnation of the Organisation is..."

Seras started back in surprise, but Walter just walked on with an enigmatic smile. She looked after him, following his course with her eyes and then jerked back to reality. She jogged back to his side and walked alongside him. Strangely, he walked slowly, with long, efficient strides, yet managed to keep an appearance of simply being on a calm, midnight stroll. His hands were placed behind his back, and he hummed to himself. She smiled, but then gave him a perplexed look, which he received with a curious glance.

"Is something the matter, Policegirl?" he asked nonchalantly.

Seras squinted in annoyance at the use of her nickname, but just smiled and said, "You didn´t detail on the "incarnations of Hellsing" you previously mentioned... It seems you have a flair for the dramatic, Walter..." she smiled softly at Walter, showing all the kind feelings she bore the aged Butler.

_Gosh... That smile could stop my heart... Whichever young gentleman takes her hand will be forever blessed... Although at the rate things are going, it seems Alucard may be the lucky blighter to claim her, and that smile is lost on him... What a cold hearted man Vladimir can be sometimes..._

He bowed cautiously to her and grinned his typical John Bull, "Apologies, Miss Seras... I shall have to tell you those details in private. Not all the staff know of Hellsing´s illustrious History..."

Seras blushed at this, "Then why will you tell me Walter, if it´s classified."

Walter smiled back, but it was bittersweet, "I have been informed by Sir Hellsing that as a Vampire, you will be most likely serving the Hellsing Family for many centuries in the Future. Moreover, as one of Hellsing´s potential trump cards, you yourself are a Level One Secret on the same par as the country´s nuclear strike capabilities and WMD locations. So you are entitled to other government secrets of the same levels. We could give the missiles the same talk I´m about to give you, but it might not sit well, judging by their rather explosive personalities..."

Seras giggled at his rather bad joke. Anything Walter said was lighthearted... even the foreboding news he gave her seemed trivial when spoken in his light, comforting tones. She nodded and smiled happily.

"OK, now that, that has been settled, we can head off and continue our tour!" she said with another infectious grin. Walter of course, grinned back and led the way out of the main hall, narrating as he went. Seras´s respect for this man deepened further when she was exposed to the depth of his knowledge involving the Hellsing Organisation. She was like a puppy in comparison. She followed him obediently, asking questions now and then about a particular function, or stopping to giggle at some of the portraits more salient features, like a ridiculous wig, or a fat man in tights.

Walter, at first thinking of this long task as a chore, began to highly enjoy the company of the young Draculina at his side. All previous nerves left behind from The Resolve seemed to fade every minute they spent together. Soon, they were chatting and joking like old friends who´d known each other for years. The Halls of Hellsing were filled with familiar laughter, and everyone who passed seemed to think they were nothing more than a delighted father and daughter who had been reunited after years apart.

They walked out of the main building, and Seras turned to Walter, puzzled.

"You said you´d show me the whole building, but you haven´t shown me the dungeons... What´s down there?"

Walter sighed and shuffled around a bit, "Well, I value my life... I have no idea what is down there... Alucard will take care of that... I´m sure a lot of rather unpleasant things lurk down there..."

"Like what?" Seras persisted innocently

"Well.. let´s just say I stumbled across a corpse whose arm was pulled up through the ribcage and ending out of the mouth... On top of that, his legs were upside down... I never went below Level B1 again..." He chuckled weakly.

Seras´ face blanched at the thought he left and nodded vigorously, "Amen to that..."

They carried on casually down past the back of the building and saw a firing range building. Walter held open the door for Seras, and she was confronted by several burly young men firing at targets with automatic weapons. They all simultaneously stopped to stare at her, and this made her feel embarrassed. Her cheeks were graced by a rosy blush, and she looked at her feet. Many of the men smiled or grinned cockily at this blonde goddess who had entered their midst in the middle of the night. Most of the men safed their weapons and went to courteously greet her, hoping to play their cards right and end up in her bed. Walter took his father figure role very seriously, and glared with the fire of a thousand suns, causing many to back away and resume their training. The men left around Seras were genuine, and introduced themselves. Seras smiled and joined in the discussion, her past abashment seemingly past.

Walter sighed. Another day in the life of a Butler...

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Integra breathed softly to herself, savouring the silence of the moment, no matter how grim the Subject matter was. The grisly task of writing to the parents and family of the youngs soldier who died that night had fallen upon her already hunched shoulders. The night had been long, but she knew it would become longer still...

How was she to explain the events which had occured in her very Hall... to anyone it would seem preposterous... even unreasonable. But to write to the man´s family... she was at a loss, fatigued to the point of collapse, and on top of that, she was still shaking slightly because of her dream, and the news of Seras´incipient Godhood...

_I swear... Im just so tempted to write "Dear Mrs Cavalm, your son decided to shoot the crap out of his comrades, then blow himself up against a bloody door."... No... keep it together Integra.. you´re just tired._

She went back to work, albeit slower than usual, and decided to send Walter off to take the message personally when he had the time. It would give it a more personal touch, and would spare her the bother... he was better at smoothing ruffles or stopping tears than she ever was... She lit a cigar and leaned back in her hard backed chair. She always planned to have the hard thing replaced, but it always seemed to elude her. She almost cried whe she saw the familiar black void appear in the wall in front of her. In fact... she did cry. It was impossible to stop herself. It was too much for even her to handle. She didn´t feel ashamed. She knew Ferguson cried too, as did every soldier in the manse. But she did feel guilty, and incapable as a leader. Integra realised that she never had even the slightest amount of energy with which to make a snide remark at her servant, but she did not expect to break down like this in front of his very eyes.

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Alucard traveled through the Walls of the Hellsing Manor in rather different spirits to the rest of the House. Many peope had fully recovered, and smiled and laughed overmuch in order to compensate for their trembling. He grinned at them maliciously as he passed, determined to see the scurry away, revelling in their fear. He smiled and thought of the denial his Master Integra would feel right now. Hw casualy ambled towards her room, and it seemed that nothing could remove the bloodthirsty and cocky grin from his face. He walked through the wass and into Integra´s office, and was greeted ba a sight that shocked him.

His master was sitting in that hard, uncomfortable chair, crying like a child who was lost. She looked up at Alucard and sniffed, but could not stop. She removed her glasses and continued her storm of tears. Alucard felt lost for words. He had thought his master an invincible pillar that none could break. Yet, here she was... broken. He approached her slowly, as if afraid to make too much noise, or to frighten her. He walked behind her, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, which she shied away from. She turned and glared at him, all the while pathetically whimpering in fright and despair.

"Well Servant," Integra spoke in scathing and mocking tones, like a woman jilted, "Have you come to laugh at me... make me feel more worthless and insignificant than I do now? Why do you torment me like this?"

Alucard said nothing, but stood her up gently and pulled her into an embrace. Integra cried into his chest, just as she had done after she had killed her uncle. Although, he could tell this was much worse. He simply held her in his arms while she shook with the rages of her sorrow. He waited for many long minutes, and then she calmed. He took her chin in between his fingers and looked into her eyes. Her blue orbs met his crimson ones with anticipation and excitement. She leaned in slowly, closer to Alucard´s face, as if she were drawn to him. He could feel her breath on his, and could feel her heart beating madly against his chest. Her lips were mere centimetres from his. Yet all Alucard could do was say a single word.

"Sleep."

And she did...

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Seras looked at the huge array of weapons in front of her with a blank expression on her face, which hid her shock. She had been a part of the Police´s armed unit and had seen her fair share of weapons, but this got to her. She had never seen weapons made specifically to deal with vampires. There were six shot semi-auto grenade launchers customised to fire long metal stakes, and winching harpoon gun. Seras seemed to distracted, that she didn't hear the soldier talking to her. She shook slightly and looked at him.

"Sorry, what was that?" she asked curiously, feeling a bit embarrased at her own distraction.

"It's quite alright," said the young man with a smile, "I was just wondering if this was your first time seeing an armoury like this?"

She nodded, "Yes, it's quite a big surprise to see such customised tools... Like... it must be hard to use the harpoon gun in a tactical situation."

The men laughed good naturedly, and the one who was talking to her asked, "Well, that's an old relic... we only use it on a bipod in situations of a sensitive nature... like Reccies or Stealths. We use one that fires eight at once when we face a room full of NHBs... It's the anti-freak version of the standard hollow charge used for breaching, and much more effective. Each stake has been known to kill up to five ghouls if the room is full."

Seras gaped at the object he gestured to. It had the appearance of an unuaually large sized minigun, and was held using the same low slung grip. It had eight barrels where the stakes would be fired from, and it had a gas cylinder port towards the back. Her face showed her astonishment, wondering how anyone could lift such an object. She turned to the man.

"Umm..." she began, looking yet more red.

"We wheel it in," he said with a grin, seemingly enjoying the look on her face. Her innocence and obvious embarrasment seemed quite endearing to him. He grinned and held out his hand to her in a friendly manner.

"By the way, my name is Martin." he said with his winning grin, "Nice to meet you!"

"Umm... Hi..." she said, blushing all the way to the roots of her hair, "I'm Seras... Seras Victoria."

His grin never faltered, "So, you're to fight alongside us? It's odd for a lady to want to go vampire hunting... Why'd you join up."

She looked away, "I kinda had no choice... there was an incident..."

He caught on to her tone, "Well, never mind about that! Who was the one who recruited you?"

She looked at him, "Don't know if you know him... he keeps pretty much to himself..."

He frowned, "Really? What's his name?"

Seras smiled and responded, "Alucard... do you know h... why are you all staring at me?"

All the men were gaping at her with a mixture of fear and respect. Some of them were visibly shaking. Seras looked at them in a frightened way and started to shake slightly. A tear started to escape her eyes.

"Wh... What's wrong with that?" she asked slowly, as if afraid to speak.

Martin looked at her in a strange way, as if concerned with her, "Alucard as in THE Alucard? The tall man Vampire in red? The one with two guns bigger then a man's head? The one who could kill everyone in the country in under twenty-four hours?"

Seras looked at him strangely, "You mean My Master? You all know him?"

The men all visibly paled at that, "Y.. Your MASTER?"

Martin grinned at her without even batting an eyelid or even looking nervous at what she had just revealed. The other men started to shake more than when they heard Alucard's name.

Martin nodded, "I thought you weren't human... Something seemed too perfect about you... and your eyes flickered once while we talked. You're a vampire aren't you?"

"Well... Alucard called me something else..." Seras mused, looking curious, yet blushing at Martin's comment about her supposed... perfection...

Martin looked baffled, "What else? You're either a Vampire, or you're not!"

"He called me a No-Life Queen..." she said in a subdued voice, "What does that mean?"

All the other men cried out and ran away with screams and wails of terror. After learning this piece of information, it was pretty obvious who was responsible for the terror they had felt earlier that night. Cries of "Monster", and "She'll kill us all" could be heard even after they had retreated from the room. Seras stared after them, fell to her knees and began to cry, all the weariness and shock of what she had learned finally coming over her, along with the anguish she felt at the treatment she was recieving from her supposed companions.

Only Martin stayed behind, and helped Walter comfort her. He smiled and gave her a hankerchief. She sobbed into it, and he smiled gently.

"Don't worry Seras... they are good men, but are filled with prejudice. Don't judge them by the manners they displayed tonight. I'm guessing you just had The Resolve, am I right?"

She stared at him with a strange expression on her face. She seemed shocked and relieved at his reaction, all at once.

"Why... are you so understanding? Everyone tells me what a terrible thing The Resolve is, yet you seem... unfazed, as if you weren't affected by it."

"No, that is not the case. I was affected by it, but I have been fighting the forces of the undead for nearly ten years. Hellsing hired me at the age of fifteen. A bit young, but I have been here for nine years now. It takes a lot to unfaze me. I have fought beside Alucard before, so I am used to the overwhelming presence of a Vampire."

Seras smiled softly, "Thank you for the support... but aren't you afraid I'll kill you like the others were?"

Martin laughed heartily at this and simply grinned, "I can't be afraid of you for what you are... It's like being afraid of someone for being white, or British... something silly like that. Besides, I know that Hellsing keeps it's vampires well fed, so there's no chance of anything happening. I have trust in the organisation, and after meeting you, I know I can trust you too."

Seras blushed madly at the intensity of his voice, but she secretly liked it as well. She looked him in the eye, and smiled softly.

"Thank you..." was all she managed to say, her heart beating faster, and her lungs rushing to catch up.

Martin grinned and then turned to Walter, "Mr Dornez... I have a request."

Walter had been smiling and had decided it wise to let someone closer to Seras' own age maybe comfort her. He could very well preach to her, but with over 50 years experience fighting the hordes of the undead, it seemed best to let someone she could relate to solve it. He looked up at Martin and grinned his John Bull.

"Yes, young man?" he inquired curiously.

"I formally request that you allow Seras Victoria to join my team. It would be best that she joined Alpha. I know her, and I'm sure the rest of my men would appreciate an asset such as herself. From their behaviour, it seems that Bravo doesn't need, or merit her involvement."

Walter just managed to hide his grin under his hand, and put on a thoughtful expression.

"Captain Beaumont... How did you come to the conclusion she was being give to either Alpha or Bravo in the first place? I may have placed her within Charlie or Delta for all you know, or even SIG One or Two."

Martin laughed once more, "Then why bring her to TR2? This Training Range is exclusively for Alpha and Bravo."

Walter decided that he liked this lad. He seemed dependable, and would help Seras fit right in with his squad, rather than ostracise her. With the right beginning, Seras would become a great asset to the Hellsing Organisation. He turned from his thoughts to address the officer in front of him.

"Captain. Effective immediately, Seras is a member of the Hellsing organisation with the rank of Second Leftenant. See if your 2iC (second in command) or your Master Chief (Staff Sergeant) have any problems, and tell them to take it up with Sir Integra if they do. She is now a member of Team Alpha. I recommend the position of Heavy Pointman."

Martin took this all in, but looked skeptical about the last point, "Are you sure, Mr Dornez... We haven't had a heavy pointman in years... does she have the strength or endurance."

Walter looked mysteriously at him, "In her current "condition", shall we call it, Seras here could lift the squad's APC over her head. On top of that, she could probably run for three days minumum with full field gear on. Not having to breathe has it's benefits Captain."

Martin regarded Seras with even more respect, and smiled crookedly at her, "You're full of surprises my dear..."

Seras blushed and began to stutter. The wiry officer laughed heartily and pulled Seras into a one-armed hug. He looked into her eyes seriously for a moment, then smiled softly.

"Welcome to the team, Seras Victoria. Tomorrow, you meet the gang. Show them that the title of No-Life Queen isn't for show..."

Walter smiled at Seras' nervous and embarrased reaction to the Captain's closeness. He could tell this would be the beginning of a long friendship, or even more... He let his thoughts wander over the nights events and his smile widened to his usual grin.

_Indeed... Welcome to the team... Seras Victoria..._

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End of: The Resolve in the Manse of Legend.

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Well, that's the end of chapter 3.

It seems that it has been an INCREDIBLY long time since I updated eithor of my stories. I must get back in action. I was planning on updating my other fic as well, but that'll have to wait for a week or so... I need to regain my past momentum.

I hope you enjoyed that, gentles all. Please review with your thoughts and advice. I'd like to hear about EVERYTHING you found good, and EVERYTHING you found bad. long, frequent reviews from repeat fans greatly help the develpoment of any story.

Thank you, and see you in chapter 5.

Sano.


	5. No one ever makes the first jump

Author's note:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the Fifth Chapter of The Requiem of Darkness. The Fourth Chapter Revealed a small facet of Seras' Potential as a No-Life Queen. Only a small facet. There is much more to explain, and much more to do.The Story's differences have be subtle to the original at first, as I believe Hirano-san did a damn god job in the beginning. So far, most of my changes have been in order to make Seras' admission to the organisation more believable and more personal. To all those despairing over a Seras/Martin ship, never ye worry... Seras' developing relationship with Martin is a crucial factor in her character development. Things I'd rather not Trust to Pip.

Things are still going to progress at a stately pace, and I do hope my old friend Hakuyaoshi will take a look at this, and along with him, I extend my own greeting to any Otherkin out there. Life's hard for us, but keep it real, and everything should work out.

To other readers, nevermind the above, just enjoy what I hope to be a successful and deep work. Without you, there would be no point to what I do.

Thank you, and let's begin.

Sano.

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Chapter 5: No one ever makes the First Jump.

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Seras opened her eyes to a dark ceiling. Then, she could see it clearly, as if the room was fully lighted. It amazed her that in a split second, her eyes adjusted to the dark. She supposed it was another perk she had as a Vampire. She raised herself wearily and looked over at the clock opposite her. It read 8pm. She wondered to herself if she'd ever get used to having to wake at night. She felt so drained, but knew in her heart it had nothing to do with her sleep pattern. It was her excuse for what her Master criticised her for. She hated disappointed him, and was almost brought to tears when she saw his looks. She had refused to drink her first meal of blood, and she did not know why. It was as if her humanity would be stripped from her and she'd become a monster whose only pleasure was tearing flesh from bone and devouring it as it was still quivering and warm. She felt it would take the "Seras" out of her, and she'd be left with nothing buta bloodthirsty shell. Strangely, Walter had not argued, but had simply left th blood on the table and walked away, telling her that she needed a meal and sleep, and they'd finish her tour another night. She had argued, but futilely, knowing that he was right, and she slept through the next day... God, it was an eventful night.

She stood up and looked distastfully at her room, which was the personification of the word "Spartan". It looked even smaller when it was in black and white. She would have to get used to the depth perception that came with nightvision; a process she knew her master would take sick pleasure in. She walked up to the plain armoire and opened it, revealing her black Hellsing uniform.

Now that she looked at it, it was highly appropriate for a military uniform in terms of practicality. It had boots that went above her ankle, and black BDU tight fitting BDU trousers, made for dexterity as well as abrasive protection. She looked over them and realised they went over her boots, and appealed to her fashion sense, lacking the typical military tight-arsed attitude she has always associated with the army. Over her torso she wore a black lightweight BDU tunic that was tucked into the trousers . The sleeves tended to get in the way, and were only there for humans, as she was impervious to the weather, so she had them shortened to above elbow length and the loose ends replaced with a two brassard pads. She wore white traditional military gauntlets, and the only colour present on the uniform was the Hellsing Coat of arms she wore on her left Brassard pad, and the Gold Second Leftenant pip on her right one.

She had a utility belt with a SIGINT level ABS protection holster on it. To her happiness, it was made in order to fit her FiveseveN, and was positioned in the lowslung crossdraw position she favoured, comfortably strapped to the left side, the grip pointing ahead of her. On the right side of the belt was another ABS holster, made for a larger gun, perhaps longer than a .50 Desert Eagle and wider than it too. It was low slung and was meant to be strapped to her thigh. She looked at it curiosly, wondering if she was to be carrying a M203A2 hand launcher there or something, but it was definitely not a standard weapon. Her uniform seemed to be customised for special battle usage, and almost all the gear was either special forces or customised. She even found an Airpure KBAR Combat Knife in the cupboard which was to be slotted in a chest slung sheath, and all the pockets on her tunic were made to accomodate magazines, with 12 guage loops and she even had two additional pouches for NFA sprays on the rear side of the belt. In short, it was the uniform of a killing machine. She sighed, knowing that she had been given the best, but still remembering Walters words of her being one of Hellsing's potential "trump cards".

Seras stripped out of her nightclothes and looked at herself in the mirror, noting the fact that there was not even a trace of the shot Alucard had given her. For some reason, her body seemed tighter, and it showed. Her fine figure was slimmer and more wiry than before. She saw the makings of hard abs, and flexed her biceps, but was glad to see no change there, as due to her TROJAN training, they were powerful enough. Overall, she looked fitter, and more ready for action then she had ever been. She knew she should be happier with her enhanced form, but still felt empty inside, the excitement of becoming a No-Life Queen had long gone to be replaced with the fear of the monster she would have to change into in order to fulfill her goal. She walked into the bathroom, hoping a shower may calm her overly thoughful brain down.

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Sir Integra woke up to a dark room. She reached over and fumbled for a lampswitch until she found it and illuminated the room. She was on her bed, and she had no recollection of how she got there. She looked over herself, and saw she was in her dress trousers and her white vest. Her Jacket and shirt were hung up on the handle of her armoire, and her shoes were placed beside the others next to her door. Integra tried to remember what happened.

_What occured that night... Ah yes... The Resolve resulted in the death of one of my men, and the wounding of six others... Alucard told me that young Seras was to become a No-Life Queen, and I tried to kiss Alucard... all in all, quite an eventful... Wait a bloody Minute! I tried to kiss Alucard?! I hope that was a dream... I mean nightmare. That was just a teenage crush that ended long ago... He's NEVER going to let me get over this... he'll mock me till the day I die... But... I don't remember anything else... did we kiss? Why am I here?_

"You are here because I carried you here... My Master..." said a deep voice from the doorway. It was Alucard.

Sir Integra raised herself from her bed and looked at him with her hard eyes, "Stay out of my mind, Servant. It is a place where you aren't fit to peruse."

Alucard's grin widened to show his gleaming fangs, "Come now... I put you to bed and made sure you weren't disturbed and got enough sleep. Surely you can give my intentions the benefit of the doubt... after all we've been through Integra... I even comforted you last night... It takes a strong mind to stay focused as long as you did... but it's only human to fear The Resolve from the very heart of your Soul."

An embarrased flush came to Integras cheeks, and she remembered her weakness, and her attempt to kiss her Servant. She looked at Alucard and his grin had widened even further to the point where it almost split his face.

"Alucard..." she said in a subdued voice, "about... last night... well..."

"What of it? It is past, and it was a strained night for all in the organisation. If you're interested to hear, young Officer Victoria has risen. Perhaps we should present her with her weapons..."

Integra smiled at Alucard gently, a smile which brought a nervous look to his eyes and a small flush to his cheeks. He looked away, as if afraid to meet her eyes. He knew letting Integra off the hook was the right thing to do, give her condition the previous night, but he was not one to be good at accepting gratitude. Sir Integra took her spectacles off her bedside table and placed them on the bridge of her nose. She took a deep breath and grinned at Alucard.

"I agree. I'd like to get cleaned up and changed first, and it doesn't seem appropriate that you remain here and ogle me." She looked at him pointedly.

Alucard laughed like the wind flowing through a forest at night, and materialised through the floor, no doubt heading for the dungeons to irritate his fledgling. Integra looked at where he once stood, her eyes thoughtful. She then rose from the bed, stripped and headed for a long and well deserved bath.

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Seras strapped on her belt and put some last finishing touches to her gorgeous blonde hair. She looked herself in the mirror and grinned, liking the way her uniform fitted her well curved form. It was much nicer than the slack and plain equipment she recieved in the TROJAN squad. Her shirt was itchy at first, but she got used to it, and her bra helped a lot, as less skin touched the fabric. She picked up her KBAR and ran her finger over it's edge, instantly cutting herself. She watched in fascination as the wound had already begun to close, and a minute later left not even a scar, as if the cut had never happened.

"Now do you see the power we have, Police Girl?" said her Master from behind her, causing her to jump and nearly cut herself again. She turned to regard him, and placed the foot long knife into her shoulder sheath.

"Why do you have to scare me like that Master... It's not nice and very impolite..." she moaned in displeasure.

Alucard burst out into peals of Laughter, the walls of Seras' room resonated with the volume. He then looked at her scornfully, his eyes showing disappointment.

"Do you think I care, Police Girl," The No-Life King asked, his voice cruel and mocking, "about your worthless opinion? Right now, you are nothing but a construct, not even worthy to be called a Servant. You're not even worth the title "Vampire". Why, Police Girl? Why do you not drink the blood? I was disgusted by the Vampire in Cheddar. Even with his deeds, he was nothing but a Charlatan, lacking the power I have, and what your potential is. I was disgusted with him, but I cannot even think of a word I can use to describe how I feel about you."

Seras looked at her Master, and felt tears tug at her eyes, "I'm just afraid of becoming a Monster... please don't be angry at me... please."

A single tear of blood fell down her cheek, and Alucards eyes widened. He looked away from her and his face softened.

"Police Girl." he said to her in an entirely different tone; one of a teacher talking to a badly behaved yet promising pupil, or a father to a daughter, "You are no longer a Human, but you are not yet a Vampire. You are weaker than both. Even the most raw recruit to Hellsing could slay you right now... You are living a dreadful Half Life; one which is bound to have a tragic ending to it. All the things I say are for your good, Police Girl. You will be nothing but a failure to me, the Hellsing organisation, but most of all... to yourself."

Seras looked at him, and spoke softly, "Master... were you not a Man once? Can you not understand what I am feeling?"

Alucard's eyes turned distant, and he looked at the wall as if trying to remember it. He then turned to regard Seras with a strange look in his eyes.

"How old do you think I am, Seras?" he asked softly.

Seras looked at him closely, noting that his handsome face looked untouched by age, giving him the appearance of someone in his mid to late thirties, but with the flawless complexion of a child. His skin was pale, almost like he was wearing foundation, and his red eyes sparkled with eternal youth, and another, more difficult feeling to fathom, or even read. It was Wisdom, and loss, that which could only be seen when looking in the eyes of an old man who had lived too long, and with much to regret of his youth. He looked like he had seen so much... lost so much, yet gained nothing but servitude in return. Seras felt herself fall to her knees at the intensity present in those eyes, but could not take her stare from them. She kept reading his eyes, as they were almost revealing a story to her; an autobiography written in blood, within the burning red irises of the man she called Master. After a what felt like an eternity, but only lasted two minutes, she turned away from him and shut her eyes. The young Nosferatu's mind ached, and she did not know what she saw in those glowing red orbs, but she knew much had been revealed to her, and she felt privileged and awed all at once.

Alucard knelt on one knee in front of her, so he was only a half foot above her kneeling form. He took her chin in his forefinger and thumb, and lifted her head so she was looking at him. His eyes seemed normal now, and a small smile graced his almost beautiful features.

"Seras... no-one has ever been able to look in my eyes for that long... not for many centuries," his eyes grew distant, as if remembering, and they yet again took on their strange look. Seras felt once again that she was looking into a deep pool of memories; a vast chasm where she knew she could lose her mind. She regarded him in a new light.

"Master, why can I look in your eyes for so long?" she asked.

"Because you are to become a No-Life Queen. You have the potential to be more powerful than all other beings to walk this Earth and the Seven Hells. Do not flee your path... Seras Victoria." he said in his now thoughtful, yet kindly tone.

They looked into each others eyes, and Alucard almost gasped at what he saw in her mind, a terrible childhood... A family slaughtered, an uncaring orphanage, a murdered love. No wonder she wanted to cling to humanity... hold on to what little she felt was still granted to her by God.

Seras smiled after a minute of this strange conversation with eyes, "Nine hundred and Eighty Five. That's how old I logically think you are..."

Alucard's eyes widened in amazement. Had she actually read his mind? No one had those capabilities, as even fully fledged true undead found him an unreadable wall. He looked at Seras as if one might view a complete stranger in the street who could tell you when your birthday was, or some other private detail. It was not his age, but another age related detail no one knew of.

"By all the Hells..." he muttered to himself, feeling slightly uncomfortable, before turning to Seras and grinning at her, "Correct... that is how old this current awakening has been... but it is not my age... Very Well done, Seras... "

Seras turned pink with pleasure at his words, and fought back the urge to offer her neck to him; she fought off the need for him to draw her blood. She felt a shudder go through her body, and felt an almost sexual pleasure. Her cheeks were flushed, and her breaths came out in hard, ragged groans. She looked at him and smiled gently, trying to suppress the feeling that had come over her.

"Thank you... My Master..." she said in quavering tones, with love and respect in her voice.

He gave her a cocky grin, the same one he always gave her when he had this effect on her. His eyes were filled with an unholy mirth, and he was chuckling lightly. Seras didn't seem to mind, though, but seemed to revel in the implications in that look. Both of them were too distracted by their exchanges to notice the silent watcher standing by the doorway, who grinned very much like Alucard.

"That's quite enough of this rubbish," said Sir Integra, "Alucard, such flirting is above you... leave the poor girl alone..."

Alucard looked at her and rose to his feet, his expression unchanged. Sir Integra almost laughed aloud when she saw the unmistakeable glare Seras was giving her. She regarded the Police Girl with her grin still plastered on her face, and gave a false snort of derision.

"Come now Police Girl. Did you actually enjoy the perverted glances of a Nine Hundred Year old man?" she said, hiding her grin behind the hand that held her cigar.

Seras' face looked irritated for a second, but then smiled at the joke she knew was meant to annoy her master. Alucard simply grinned at Integra as if hearing this was completely normal.

"Do not speak about my age, when I have less wrinkles than your fresh, young self..." Alucard responded, his grin broad, and his voice filled with mirth.

A vein bulged on Sir Integras forehead, and she glared at Alucard for a second, before turning to Seras.

"Miss Victoria. I hope the uniform we provided you with was to your liking? We had considered a tunic and skirt, but we thought that was too restricting, and considering most men here have the hormones of a fourteen year old, a bit unwise. Moreover, we have realised that the tunic we gave you has too many pouches on it, making it lose some of the freedom of movement useful for a being with your skills. That is being worked on, and your new uniform shall reach you by tomorrow evening. At least it should, if the QM values his life and continuing sanity..."

Seras' eyes bulged at the effort they were going to for her, and blushed slightly, "Thank you, Sir Integra."

Integra nodded, and went on, "On top of this, when you were first brought to us, we went to the liberty of taking your finger measurements and made you a customised FiveseveN. Walter, if you would come in."

Walter came in carrying two suitcases and nodded in greeting to Seras before placing them on the table. Seras smiled happily and waved at her friend, who responded in kind. He opened one, and removed a black FiveseveN from it. Seras gasped at the workmanship, as it was what she had always wanted from a handgun, at least in terms of looks. Walter smiled his charming and wry John Bull at her reaction and handed it to her, then stood to attention and proceeded to tell her what work had been done to create the weapon she held.

"Now, I'm sure you've seen what had been done about your gun, but the larger changes are merely for comfort. For example, when you were first brought here by Alucard, we took your finger and thumb measurements from your gun hand. We have our own weapon's production department on site, so these weapons are made with a lot of care, and constructed from alloy suited for a Vampire's strength."

Seras nodded and urged him to continue, eager to see what had been done to the gun. It fitted her hand perfectly, and seemed larger and heftier then her previous one.

Walter cleared his throat and continued with a studious expression on his face,

"The first thing we realised is that the 5.7mm rounds you were using led to a more compact gun, but less stopping power and suppressive dispersal than most handguns, not to say that Project 90 guns are bad, but just lacking in that department. Therefore, we created a handgun using the same High Reliability frame of a FiveseveN, yet we made it larger, in order for it to able to chamber the Nine Millimetre Parabellum rounds that are standard to the Hellsing Small Arms Department. Moreover, from your finger and thumb measurements, we created a customised hand grip with accurately measured grooves designed to hold your fingers perfectly. On top of that, we've enlargened the bottom of the magazine port by 2.5mm, allowing for a mag to be placed inside when in a hurry with less risk of fumbling. The magazine release catch has been stiffened in order to make it harder to release the mag, thus ensuring the magazine is not accidentaly ejected during a stressful situations. The slidelock release has been replaced with the pip commonly associated with Glocks in order to increase your grip reliability. The breach has been shaven and polished to a mirror sheen, and the standard trigger has been replaced with a long type with non-slip grooves. Moreover, the barrel has been rifled, and the trigger mechanism has been replaced with a hair trigger system."

Seras' eyes were showing that she was having a hard time taking all this in. Her gun had all these changes done to it; well, it was a new gun entirely! This orgaisation was really something else. She looked at Walter wth a sheepish expression.

"But how will Nine Millimetre Rounds be any more effective then my own? Masters Gun makes a noise that rivals a sniper rifle, and things just explode when they are hit... Mine's just an ordinary calibre, won't it be useless?"

Integra smiled at this and said, "You will be using Blessed Silver 9mm parabellum rounds. The hollowtip has been filled with an incendiary ingredient. So, firstly, the silver is enough to kill these creatures, and secondly, they will be incinerated. Moreover, if you run out of rounds, you may take rounds from teammates willing to give you some, or from the bodies of your fallen comrades."

Seras looked a bit sick at the thought of that, and Sir Integra spoke firmly, "This is not a game Seras. Put your squemishness aside. You are now a Hunter of the Undead, no matter what you wish. Walter, show her the next weapon."

Walter bowed, but not before raising an eyebrow at Integras use of Seras' first name, "Yes, Ma'am. Right, Here we have a spike shotgun. They use what look like standard shotgun shells, yet they fire one single small silver harpoon that is inside them, with unerring accuracy. This gun is being given to you because the other two weapons we were meant to give you have not been finished yet. Your current uniform has loops for the spare shells. Because of it's accuracy, we are providing you with a bipod. This can be used as a support weapon rather effectively, and as heavy pointman, you will probably need it. As before, the harpoons are in a 12 guage shell so when you run out, you can use other compatible rounds. Moreover, in order to increase accuracy, we have attached a reflex scope to it."

Seras grinned and gave Walter a hug, startling the old man. His astonishment vanished in seconds, and he patted her heartily on the back, before flashing his typical John Bull once more.

"It's my pleasure, Seras." he said, "As I said yesterday, you are one of our trump cards, as no one knows that Hellsing has two vampires on their side... and even when they do, I'm sure you'll serve Hellsing well!"

Seras smiled happily at his praise, and her face took on a curious expression, "Did you make these weapons, Walter?"

He coughed with embarrassment, "The shotgun is a normal one that uses special ammunition, but yes, I was responsible for the manufacture of your new FiveseveN."

"Cool..." said Seras with a grin, then looked at Integra, "What now, Sir Integra?"

The director grinned at her, "You meet your squad, and gear up for your first mission."

Seras stared at her, "My first... mission?"

Integra grinned again, then looked stern, "Get going!"

"R... Right!" said Seras while placed her handgun in her holster, and then slung the shotgun over her shoulder before sprinting out of the room.

Walter chuckled and walked out of the room while Alucard simply grinned widely at Integra.

"Good to see that you're getting on with Seras... My Master..."

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Seras entered the Alpha squad barracks. It was a surprisingly comfortable building, and it looked more like a small hotel than a barracks. She was greeted by the sight of Martin in his combat trousers and a sleeveless vest; a sight that caused her to blush to the roots of her hair.He turned around to see her standing in the gearing room and grinned widely at her, its open-ness causing her to grin back and lose all awkwardness of the situation. She looked around the room curiously.

Martin raised an eyebrow, "What's the matter, Seras?"

"Where are the rest of the squad?" she asked in return, "I want to meet the group of humans that won't mind fighting alongside a Vampire!"

Martin laughed aloud and patted her gently on the head, "It's amazing that people would be scared of little old you! You're in need of a team that cares. You're like a little Kitten!"

Seras' smile dropped from her face, and she looked away, tears of blood forming in her eyes. Martin looked concerned and took her chin in his fingers, and looked in her tear filled eyes. He saw loss and death, and it scared him. I also angered him that a girl such as Seras was privy to such things.

"Tell me Seras. Why does the name Kitten make you react so?" Martin spoke softly, his eyes unfathomable.

Seras returned his look and spoke, "My old team called me Kitten... I was a member of a TROJAN squad. The whole lot of them were murdered by Ghouls... Alucard managed to save me, by killing me. My parents used to call me Kitten too, coincidentially... Before they were butchered in their own home..."

Martin's eyes widened in horror at this, and pulled Seras into a tight embrace. She wept into his chest, and his right hand went gently through her blonde hair, comforting her. The storm of her weeping past, and she raised her head to see that the room was filled with people, seven apart from her and Martin. She looked around nervously and saw they were smiling at her. One of the men came forward with a fatherly smile on his face. He was middle aged and stocky, with short white hair and a receding hairline. On his face he bore a moustache, and a long scar ran down from his forehead to his jawline. His Insignia bore a Major's crown. He was obviously the commanding officer.

"Never you worry, Officer Victoria. All men here have seen horrors that have been enough to cripple them. However, we remember the mission we are on. It has been given to us by God. Even though you are a Vampire, I am sure you can stand beside us. All men in this team would be emotional wrecks by now if not for leaning on one another. So, they will allow you to lean on them, if you let them lean on you. Share the burden. That is what being part of a team is all about, and that is what being a part of Hellsing is all about!"

The other men nodded and laughed, some of them coming forward to pat Seras on the back, and other holding out their hand to shake hers. Their eyes showed the pain they felt, but their grins showed what the Major had said was true. They were damned men, finding solace in each other. Seras' eyes brightened and a true smile graced her lips. Martin grinned at her again.

"You should smile more often, Officer Victoria," said Martin with a grin, "Life is easier to bear when you do, not to mention the fact that you look stunning..."

Seras turned crimson at this and began to stutter. All the other squad members laughed at this. Seras could not help but smile. It was not mocking or condescending, but their laughter was filled with a camaraderie she had only experienced in her old squad, and that had been because she had worked with them for two years. This was immediate, and even though she did not know these mens names, she felt like she had been acquianted with them for years on end. Hellsing was an exclusive club, and if you were good enough to be chosen to work here, you were obivously gifted and had nothing to prove to most of them. Most of them did not include Sir Integra and Alucard. You had to earn every drop of respect thay would give you with a thousand drops of blood and sweat.

The middle aged man looked stern and stood to attention and bellowed, "Fall in Alpha!"

All the men fell in line, and Seras went to the end of line beside Martin, and tried her best to stand to attention. Some of the men looked at her in confusion and gestured for her to stand in a spot beside a rather weatherbeaten looking man with an impressive handlebar moustache usually only rivalled by aristocratic characters seen in Victorian novels. She looked confused and walked to the spot and stood there. The middle aged Major looked at her, nodded, and spoke sternly.

"My name is Ferguson, and I am the Major in charge of Hellsings troops. The only people I answer to are Walter, Sir Integra and Her Majesty. These squad members will fight with you until Alucard decides it is time for you to become a solo agent. By that time, you'll be able to run rings around these men in terms of skill. But never underestimate men, Seras Victoria. Alucard may be a True Undead, but just ask him who in the whole world is capable of killing a monster such as him, and he'll tell you: Man."

Seras gulped at this and nodded, trying to straighten a bit. The moustached man next to her leaned in and whispered, "Salute and say 'Yes sir', Kitten, or he'll get really pissed."

Seras saluted quickly and blushed, "Sorry... I mean... Yes Sir!"

Ferguson nodded in approval and turned to his men, "This here is Seras Victoria, Hellsing's new pet Vampire, and so to be No Life Queen, according to Alucard. However, all things considered, I feel he may just trying to wind me up... No mercy for a miserable old codger such as myself!"

The men all laughed at this, and yet their eyes harboured a great respect. Seras noted their laughter was not in acclaim at his claims of himself, or with derision, but were the laughs of men who thought this man was anything but the highly inaccurate way he labelled himself. It was obvious that Major Ferguson was not a man to be trifled with. The squad stopped laughing when Martin gave them a small cough to remind them what company they were in.

Major Ferguson nodded once more, and Seras wondered if he had a spring for a neck. She giggled aloud, causing the team to all regard her with raised eyebrows. The Majors face grew stern, and he waved his finger at Seras in consternation.

"Now look here, Leftenant." he began heatedly, "I don't care whether or not you were in the Police or that you're some Vampire witch, but you're in the Special Forces now, so stop acting like a ridiculous pantywaist and act like a an Officer!"

She saluted as if her arm were attached to hydraulics, "R... Right Sir!"

The Major nodded again, and Seras had to stop herself from bursting out with laughter. Ferguson turned to regard all the men gathered in front of him and his face remained stern.

"Tonight, a house in Slough was desecrated by Vampires. All the inhabitants were killed, and messages against God and Hellsing were written all over the walls. The bastards not only know about us, but are mocking us, and our holy mission from God and Her Majesty..." he spoke, leaving no room for argument in his voice, "These foul being must be stopped, and silenced. This is not a standard mission, as there is at least one vampire involved."

Martin's face was serious, and his eyes shone, "Do we have any leads on their current location? Or are we waiting for the OK."

Ferguson grinned, "Their current location is unknown. They are too close to Hellsing and have therefore slipped under our intel department. No one expected such a close attack. This is not your mission tonight, but I expect all to explained to young Seras here. Remain aware that this mission may become available within the next 24 hours, maybe even tonight. Bravo has a mission in York and left immediately. It seems the men have a problem with our newest member..."

Martin's face grew angry, "Fucking Cowards... I'll skin any one of them who raises a hand to Seras. She is My Second Leftenant. All of Alpha, Combat, Reccie and Support shall make sure this doesn't escalate."

Seras felt another blush form in her cheeks. She knew it. She was slowly beginning to fall in love with her captain, and there was nothing she could do to stop it... and deep inside, she really didn't want to stop it...

She turned to Martin and smiled, "Thanks, Captain. However, I'd like to avoid any unnecessary confrontations... we are on the same team, y'know... It just takes some a little longer to realise it than others."

Ferguson grunted grudgingly, "Tell that to Alucard. If he was in your position, Bravo team would already be dead... It seems that not all Nosferatu are bloodthirsty freaks, Seras Victoria. I am impressed."

He then addressed the crowd as a whole once more, "Until the mission intel is updated, we have a mission in South Ealing near the Studios. It's been a while since we had an urban mission, and this will hopefully give Seras a chance to get used to how we work. Captain Beaumont, you will be Seras' instructor. But remember, if things get desperate, Seras is more than capable of defending herself, if anything Sir Integra says is true, and it always is. Care for yourself rather than babysitting her."

Martin nodded, "Got it, Major. Shall we begin?"

Ferguson and the men snapped to attention, followed by a hesitant Seras. All the men had their heads bowed, and so she followed suit.

Ferguson looked up to the sky, and began to pray, "In the name of God, Impure Souls of the Living Dead shall be Banished unto Eternal Damnation, Amen"

"Amen" repeated all the men, including Seras.

Ferguson went to ease, "All right then, let's Scramble!"

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Alucard grinned as he watched this scene unfold from the shadows. Seras seemed to be getting on well with that human Captain. He hoped a bit of casual smut may loosen her up a bit. However, something stirred in him; a jealous protectiveness that seemed almost alien to him... almost. He had only felt that feeling once before, and that was when his other was around. It had been a while... but not so long ago that he forgot jealousy. No one can forget that human feeling, even a monster such as he. It was one he wished to be alien, asto continue his usual observation of his Servant. It was obvious how she felt when she spoke with him. She cried at his every criticism, and looked ready to have the night of her life when he complimented her. It was a fell power indeed, and he knew if he took advantage of it, she might be weakened by unecessary emotion, and not end up as the No-Life Queen she was destined to become. Only those who are destined, or have the potential darkness is their heart can become No-Life Queen.

Many Vampires in the past had believed themselves ruthless and delighting in the slaughter. They thought it possible for them to become True Undead based on those factors, which was incorrect. Seras was secretly drawn to the Darkness, and it was almost hard to see it under her kind and gentle nature. Many True Undead were such; dark and brooding, yet gentle and contemplative all at once, even happy and smiling. That seperated them from their more violent kin. They acted more like people then monsters, driven on the hunt by the lust for blood they could not control. A true undead has immense mastery of the control involved in keeping the hunger away, and Seras had the potential. He had seen it in her eyes. She would one day walk as darkness itself, with blood and fear as the very vestments she wore.

What a day that would be... what a day. She may even meet other members of their little... clan, so to speak. He knew it wasn't correct, but it was the will of Ignatius Hellsing to make sure that the secret of Hellsing's operations be kept away from others. He was placed to be nothing more then a guard. When Her father had spoken to her of her Saviour under Hellsing, how was Integra to know that it wasn't referring to him, but what he guarded. But it was he who had awakened, he who protected her, which was fortunate, as he was the most powerful tool in the possession of Hellsing. It was just the case that he didn't have as much potential as the other tool or his own creation. He hoped Seras would meet his other... fledgling... one day...

Alucard laughed to himself, knowing that these ifs and maybes were a waste of time, and things that human dwelled on. He turned away and slunk into the wall, heading to where his Master worked.

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Seras loaded her shotgun, noting that the shells did weigh significantly more than normal ones. Her FiveseveN was loaded with her customised rounds, and was in the personalised holster at her left side. She flicked the shotgun's Safety on, and sat quietly in the armoured personnel carrier. The men arrived a few minutes later, huffing and out of breath. Martin sat beside her and laughed.

"Now, Alpha team, THAT is why you don't challenge a Nosferatu to a race, you stupid berks..."

The man with the enormous handlebar moustache sat opposite Seras and laughed heartily, "Sir, it's not so much that we weren't fast enough, but just the fact that we have to bloody well breathe while she doesn't have to!"

The other men laughed and complained about it, but the smiles never left their faces. They smacked her heartily on the back, all the while calling her their "kwik kitten" (British folks will get the lame kwik-fit joke). She smiled at them, and joined in. Then, Martin pointed to the almost industrially moustached man opposite her and grinned.

"This here's Sergeant Price. He's our sniper. He's so good, he could shoot off your left nipple from a mile away!" he boasted expansively.

The man opposite narrowed his eyes and spoke goadingly, "You got a problem with 'er left nipple, then?"

Martin looked flustered for a minute, then vehemently denied, "No! Not at all! I'm sure she has fabulous nipples, I was just..."

"So you like her nipples then?" cut in another man.

Martin looked even more flustered and turned a deep shade of crimson, "That's not what I meant, come off it... I... shut up..."

Everyone laughed, but Seras' face was bright red. What an inappropriate comment. Yet somehow, Seras had been waiting for a positive reply for the last question, and had to fight back the disappointment she felt at his ambiguous reply. They both met each others eyes, then looked away, to nervous to make further contact. The Sergeant grinned and gestured to the man who had asked the raucous question.

"This here is First Leftenant Griggs. He's mental, but you and I both answer to him. He's the 2IC of this unit. Alpha squad is comprised of two units. One led by the Cap'n, and the other led by the 2IC. You'll be in the Cap'ns unit, and I'm in Griggs unit. To the left of the Cap'n is the old 2nd Left. He stepped down to allow you in, but I don't think he minds, as he gets a break. You need a combination of Grunt and leadership experience, so this is where you'll get it, as the 3IC. The team is backed up by it's own support staff, which consists of ten people. In missions that don't require on the spot Intel searching, each team member has his own support member constantly updating their HUD with an currently available info. We used to use the old OPSAT system, but it was pants, so we switched to the HUD. As you're invincible, you don't need a helmet, but you get a HUD headset, which includes a radio that can be used to talk to up to fifteen different listening groups, but that's just an cool sounding superflous perk."

With that, he handed her a headset that was comprised of small headphones that had a small, lightweight ABS frame running along the back of her head. There was an elasticated fabric band that attached around her neck. On it was a round disc that served as a mike. Seras could tell that it was a GHOST mike, obviously made by the highest available SIGINT technology. There was a clear glass visor that covered her eyes and forehead area. She could see through it perfectly, and she looked around the interior of the APC. She saw five others who hadn't said anything, and smiled at them.

"And what about you guys, what are your names?" she asked kindly.

They laughed and indicated Martin. Martin smiled knowingly at her, "The lesser troops of Hellsing use codenames. Only the those that stand out, the leaders for example, use their own names. That, and those troops who have no family to lose. If their names were known, their families may be put at risk. Many of the soldiers on the same team choose a certain category and then choose codes from it, like animals or other objects. However, as the best team in Hellsing, our men don't need names to speak for their abilities. Meet numbers One through Five. Number Six used to be the the 3IC, but now it's you! Numbers one through three are part of Alpha 1, and four to six are in Alpha 2."

Seras nodded, "OK, what about this headset?"

Price grinned, "It shows you all the data you need for the mission, lass. Use it well."

Martin turned to the driver, "Let's go! Floor it!"

The driver nodded and the APC sped off into the night.

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Integra considered her next move, and wondered why she bothered with such mind straining pursuits in her spare time. She grinned for a moment, before moving her rook forward two squares.

"Check"

Alucard grinned and saw the seeds of a gambit in the making. He could tell almost every move in this game, and it was a rare thing for Integra to be willing to play him. After all, who could hope to win against a man with many as years experience as he had. Well, to be honest, Integra had won more times then she had lost against him, which displayed how intelligent she was. He thought for a minute, and then took her rook with his bishop.

"How do you think Seras is getting along with the men?" Integra asked, concentrating on the board in front of her.

Alucard grinned, "Fine. In fact, I can see her getting along a little bit more then fine with the Captain, if you catch my meaning."

Integra raised her head from the board, and her brow rose along with it, "You're joking I hope?"

Alucard grinned again, but it had more amusement in it then the previous one, "Not one word of it, My Master... Captain Beaumont and Little Miss Victoria seem quite taken with each other. I wonder what will come of it?"

Integra, however, did not look amused, "This is NOT a joke, Servant! She is a Nosferatu, he is a human. This is basically Necrophilia, you are aware of that?"

Alucard laughed out loud, "What an interesting way to put it, Sir Integra. you always knew how to amuse me..."

Integra looked a bit put out but did not respond. She instead stared at the board for a full ten minutes. Then, she took Alucards Rook with a pawn. Alucard looked confused. There was nothing she could do from there. It was a fools move, and it showed she was obviously distracted by the situation involving Seras.

"What's the matter, My Master? Seras won't do anything stupid!"

Integra looked annoyed, "That's one thing she will do, Alucard. She's completely new to this. Even the humans make arses of themselves once in a while, and they're fully trained special forces troopers. What'll make Seras any differe..."

"She is neither a Special Forces Trooper, nor a Human, "Alucard cut her off, "She is a Nosferatu. Her very nature will prevent any... fatal... errors. However, on being stupid... that is more her nature than her fault..."

Integra couldn't help but grin at her servant's remark. It was true that Seras was a bit dim, but she was a likeable enough girl. Integra was sure that the young vampire could win over the hearts and minds of the Hellsing Organisations troops. She was that way, happy and amazingly beautiful. If she was willing to use that, she could have every member of the organisation eating out of the palm of her hand, even some of the more sober men weren't immune to a womans charm, and Integra knew if things went bad, she could count on it. However, in the hands of a woman who looked like a goddess (ie: Seras), there was no end to what she could do. Integra huffed in slight jealousy, causing Alucard to look at her in curiosity.

"You think you know all there is to know of our young Police Girl... But you know very little, My Master..." he said with a cruel grin, "She has seen horrors that compare with what many people see in their whole lifetimes, and that was in the firrst 6 years of her life."

Integras eyes grew disturbed. She knew that she didn't look beyond Seras' school history, into her childhood events, as Seras was too bubbly and bright for anything traumatic to have occured in her childhood. But, it never occured to her that some may have broad shoulders. But, just because of the shoulders didn't mean that the weight on them or the pain felt was lessened. It must seem to crush her at some times. She looked at Alucard with more understanding present in her eyes. His smile turned from it's cruel and scornful caste to a genuine one.

"Nice to see your mind is on the right track, My Master..." he commented expansively, "Remember, Seras would trade in all the beauty she possessed, and even more, in order to have a normal childhood, and to remove the smell of blood from her hands, the scar of breakdown from her mind..."

Integra's eyes widened, "What exactly happened to her? Was it really so bad?"

Alucards eyes looked stern once more, "Seras watched her father and mother slaughtered before her very eyes. She was shot also, and moreover, she watched one of the criminals defile her late mothers corpse. It doesn't get much worse then that, even for a monster such as me. Watching those I call family being slaughtered and violated would even make me cry... would even make me fly into mad, uncontrollable fury. Everyone deals with their problems differently, and Seras is no exception, even if she is a Nosferatu..."

With that, he moved his bishop to a spot where it was guarded by his knight, and looked at the expression of horror on Integras face with grim satisfaction. Integra looked to be fighting an internal battle; one that she was losing. After around ten minutes of her thinking, she grimaced and brought her Queen to take the pawn a diagonal to Alucard's King. She looked perplexed, and yet sumbissive at once. Alucard grinned at the obvious trouble she was having in reajusting her thoughts regarding Seras. It was something she rarely did, but when Integra had trouble, Alucard or Walter were usually around to act as a safety net. Alucard enjoyed her grimace for a moment, then looked at the Chess board in front of him. His Crimson eyes widened in surprise.

Integra raised her eyes to look at him, and an unfathomable smile crossed her lips, "Mate."

Alucard threw his head back and laughed long and hard, his voice resonating through the halls of Hellsing. He looked at her, with tears of blood forming in his eyes at the hilarity of the situation. Even when he thought it was her who was distracted, he was the one who was truly distrubed by Seras' situation. Integra had just given him proof of that, by winning while he was worried about the Organisations reaction to his Servant. His Master had both outwitted him and taught him a bit about himself. Was being worried a sin? Was it too human? He did not know.

He rose from his chair and his shoulders still trembled slightly with silent laughter. He regarded the board once more and shook his head, before slightly dipping his hat to Integra.

"And a good evening to you, Miss Hellsing..." was all he said before leaving Integra to ponder over this new information, and to look over his own way of thinking.

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They had been driving for half an hour at full pelt. Seras was surprised that a huge armoured vehicle like this one could move so fast. They were going at least 100 mph, and would reach their destination in no time. She turned to the team and grinned.

"Numbers 1 to 3. What are your positions?" she asked curiously. She had been given instructions on procedure, but not on the other men.

"We're all standard ops. We carry a Standard MP5A5 with a retractable stock. We use blessed Silver 9mils and .45 ACP's. The .45s are for our sidearms. All except the Cap'n of course. It's too ordinary for him..." the man grinned at Martin.

Martin huffed and looked slightly offended, and Seras cocked her eyebrow at him. She never perceived him as being one to try anything different from his subordinates.

"So Martin..." Seras asked in a confused voice, "What do you use?"

He grinned, "Colt .454 GOD. Why?"

She looked at him as if she'd not heard a word of what he had said. He laughed and pulled a strange gun from his belt. It was a revolver of around 8 inches barrel length and came with a heavy barrel fix and compensator. She could see it was chambered for 5 rounds, but the size of the revolving breach was much to long for .45 rounds, or even the .357 magnum rounds usually associated with revolvers of that length.

"That's strange... what's it use?" Seras inquired, genuinely interested.

Martin removed a round from the rollcage and held it out in front of her. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the round.

"Thats... the same..."

"Yes," Martin grinned widely, "It's the same round type Alucard uses."

"And..." Seras felt a bit stupid, "Why's it called the .454 GOD?"

One of the men turned to her and laughed, "The captain asked them to make this here gun for him, and so he named it himself. However, he forgot that gun names were abbreviated. He was so impressed by it, he called it the .454 Gun of Death. Which, just happens to spell God."

Seras laughed aloud and listened to what another man had to say, "To be honest, it was in the days when Alucard and the Cap'n were a team, but it's still hilarious to hear it now..."

Martin looked chidingly at his teammate, who slapped his hand over his mouth. Seras looked at Martin in a new light, but did not ask any questions, as it obviously bothered him. But how come he had never mentioned that he was teamed with her Master? Was he afraid of Alucard? Even with these unanswered queries surfacing in her mind, she did well to hold her tongue for now. She looked out of the window and turned to the grunts, and spoke as Martin had told her to.

"We just passed Ealing Broadway. We're around 2 minutes from the Target. Make safe and HUDs on!"

The men nodded in both understanding and approval before doing as instructed. Seras flipped the switch on the headset she wore and her vision went black. After a second, it cleared and her HUD showed many different readings as well as what looked like a small radar in the top left hand corner. It was a step better, and the radar showed a line map of the area, perfect for interior combat. The bottom of the HUD was lined with small icons such as Battery life, a list of frequencies and her personal details, as well as a little ".rec" icon, showing that the whole mission was to be recorded. A box opened in the top left of the screen to reveal a small photo of a woman. A Mic icon appeared next to it.

"This is Hellsing HQ to Leftenant Victoria, we have your HUD online and your vitals are on our screen. I would just like to notify you that your equipment may not be correctly installed or damaged, as your vitals are reading KIA and are flatlining. Check your equipment for any problems."

Seras looked mortified at this. Why did it have to go wrong first mission? She turned to Martin and nudged him.

"Martin..." she moaned in annoyance, "The lady in my head says I'm flat lining at HQ... Does that mean my equipment is bust?"

The whole team stared at Seras for a good ten seconds before bursting into wild fits of hysterical laughter. Seras looked mortified, thinking she had somehow messed up, and she turned crimson. Martin looked as if he was pitying her, but spoke in a kind tone.

"Ummm... Seras... you are aware that you're dead? You're a vampire, remember?"

Seras' eyes widened, "Hellsing HQ? Don't worry, I'm a Vampire, so it's bound to show me flatlining. Just ignore it or mute the machine..."

There was a pause at the other end of the line, "Oh, so YOU'RE the Vampire Alucard recuited! Wow! It's so cool to be working with you! My names Amanda, nice to meet you!"

Seras facefaulted, "Ummm... nice to meet you too?"

The team took this as the signal to resume general laughter. Seras' innocence was astounding, and made her extremely endearing. Sergeant Price tapped her on the shoulder and signalled to the door. Seras' eyes widened.

"I have to go, you know... Vampire hunt..."

"Understood," said Amanda, sounding as if she had also recieved a scolding at her end, "You're so lucky... I wouldn't mind playing with that Captain Beaumont's Gun, if you get my meaning..."

Seras turned red and chose not to respond. She neatly slung her shotgun over her shoulder and left the APC, followed by the team. She followed Martin to the entrance of the building and stood to attention. He looked at her and motioned for her and numbers 1,2 and 3 to group around him. He then pointed to the main entrance doors.

"Alpha 1, Stack up."

They lined the walls on either side of the double doors. Seras saw that Alpha 2 was no where to be seen. It was obvious that they were a quick, stealthy sniping team. Martin seemed to wait and whispered into his headset before turning to the team.

"Radar is showing 6 NHBs in the room ahead, and no humans. Check?"

All the men nodded, confirming the radar read on their own HUDs. Number one then turned to Seras and showed her something. It was a strange black box.

"The reason we at Alpha are the best in Hellsing is we improvise. This here's your standard breaching charge. A steel chassis with Plastique inside that only blasts the door. We... adjusted it... you could say."

With that, the man opened the end of the box that faced the door and started to jam shiny objects into the Plastique. Seras' eyes widened as she saw they were silver rifle rounds. By the time he finished, it resembles a hedgehog. He placed it against the door and nodded to Martin. Martin's face was split by his youthful grin and he returned the nod in a way that showed he was suppressing some sort of childish glee. Number One slammed his thumb on a button strapped to his flak jacket. Seras hardly had time to looked from the button to the door, but she did manage to see the door explode in a shower of splinters. She then saw Martin gesturing frantcally at her. She ran into the room, her Benelli 12 raised ahead of her. She was faced by a ghoul carrying a pistol. It shambled towards her as if trying to call for help. Seras lowered her Shotgun by an inch, but quickly raised it as the Construct in front of her raised it's weapon towards her. She pulled the trigger and the monster'r centre mass seemed to implode as it flew out of it's back, spraying the walls with gore and internal organs. Her eyes widened in horror of what she had done.

It was only after the adrenaline had passed that she saw the whole room. Nothing survived. The bodies of five other creatures lay on the blood soaked floorboards. They were in vairous states of destruction, some missing their heads while others were blown in half. She looked at Number 1 and nodded.

"Where did you get the rounds? You only use 9mm Submachineguns, and yet those rounds were 5.56? Couldn't you have just used your own?"

Number one held up a rifle round he fished from his pocket, "It's pointier, so it has more inorganic penetration allowing it to go through even the thickest door without losing much stopping power, and simultaneously allows for it to act as a miniature stake. Moreover, it's only 5.56mm, and so I can jam more of the buggers into a charge than if I was using 9mm. They've all been depowdered and fly tru as hell, round, brass and all."

Seras nodded, trying to absord as much information as possible from these experienced men. They impressed her at every turn, and she felt she had tons of things to learn from them. Martin led the way up to the next floor, checking every room for bodies. The whole building looked as if it had been destroyed in a massive panic. Desks littered the hall, and Seras imagined people trying to block the Ghouls with the furniture. If Martin checked a room and found a dead body, he would enter the room and shoot it once in the head and twice in the heart. They carried on to the Second floor (British floors, not US) and the radar flashed. It was an NHB, along with a different coloured blip. Seras turned to Martin.

"What's the Greed Blip mean?" she asked curiously.

Martin's face was grim, "The Red's a vampire, and the Green's a human... this is gonna be tricky... go to the Window at the side of the door that looks into the room Seras. Use the FiveseveN and you can do it."

Seras nodded and went to the window, "I can't get a shot at this range... I don't even have a scope! It's got to be 30 metres, and the Vampires holding the human..."

Martin looked serious, "No. You can. You're not human anymore. Scopes would just get in the way."

Seras was about to retort, but she then remembered that this man had fought at Alucard's side in combat, so he probably knew a bit more than she did on the subject of vampiric eyesight. She aimed down the ironsights of her handgun and felt her eyes sudenly focus on the figure in the centre of the room. She saw quite clearly that it was a woman in her early twenties holding another woman hostage. The woman who was labelled as a vampire looked frightened and was acting as if merely defending herself. She made no move to cause any harm to her hostage, and looked at Seras in fright. Her eyes were innocent and they begged for mercy.

Seras hesitated and Martin looked at her in shock. His face grew stern.

"Seras, what the Hell do you think you're doing?" he bellowed, "FIRE!"

Seras shook her head, "She's just a woman... she's not a monster like that priest. We can reason with her. Please Martin..."

Martin looked at her like she was crazy and drew his head close, "Seras. You need to realise that not all vampires are dark and evil... some look like ordinary humans, or even children. Please. Take the shot. I know the first one is the hardest, but...you need to do this."

Seras looked down the sights once more. The woman's face seemed even more pitiful then before. Seras shook her head and lowered her weapon. The Vampire threw her hostage aside with tremendous force and ran towards Seras, her eyes cold and fangs now revealed. Seras looked transfixed in surprise. The woman seemed to move in slow motion, and then her head exploded in a huge shower of blood and grey matter. This sight was followed by the enormous report of a high velocity rifle. The Vampire's body hit the floor with a sound that echoed throughout the building. The round had not only gone through her head, but created an enormous hole in the wall across the room from her. Martin looked a bit irritated and tapped his headset.

"Nice shot Price, but wasn't using the .308 HEAP a bit much? You usually use that for penetrating multiple targets or even shooting through buildings, let alone one Vampire..."

A image of Price entered Seras' headset. Price spoke to both the Captain and her, "I needed to make sure that the first shot didn't miss her, and the HEAP did the trick. Also, Seras. I hope the sound of that shot stays in your memory for the rest of your life. It's the eye-opener as to what the true nature of the enemies we face is. There are good Vampires, and there are the evil ones we face, OK? Remember the last expression on that woman's face before it was removed by myself. It should have been you that did it. You should have followed orders."

Seras looked crestfallen. It was true that she should have been the one to take the shot and save herself. She couldn't even look at Martin, as she was afraid of the disappointment that she was sure to be present in his eyes. However, when she felt his familiar grasp on her shoulder, she could not help but look up at him. Strangely, he was smiling, and shook his head slightly.

"Don't you worry. I'm sure you'll do better next time," said Martin consolingly, "They say a hesitation to kill means you'll live longer. But remember what Price said. Any Vampire we are told to hunt has been terrorising the populace, and isn't bound to be one of the "good" vampires."

Seras nodded, thankful she wasn't about to receive an earful from this normally kind man. She safed her pistol and holstered it before sighing again heavily. Martin pressed a button on his headset, opening a general line to HQ. A thumbnail displaying Ferguson's face appeared on Seras' HUD.

"HQ, this is Captain Beaumont. The Targets have been silenced, and the main vampire has been neutralised. Price took the shot."

"Understood." Boomed Ferguson's voice, "I would love to give you the all clear to retire for the night, but there has been a report from intelligence on the situation in Slough. The Vampires I briefed you on earlier were seen coming off the M4 at junction 21, heading towards Slough central. It's on the way home, so please take care of it. Alucard will be working with you on this one. The rest of the team will sit out. This is a chance for Seras to take her first kill. I want you to tutor her, with Price to take the shot if necessary."

Martin nodded, "Understood. We'll load up and get moving."

Seras looked crestfallen, "Another mission? Why are there so many vampires around nowadays?"

Martin grunted and looked grim, "I want to ask Sir Integra about that... I hope she can elaborate."

"Why would she know anything?" said Seras in confusion, "She spends most of her time in the Manse."

Price's laughter could be heard over the radio, "The Hellsings are never to be underestimated. Yu wouldn't be the frst person to make that mistake."

Martin nodded to her, the spoke to the whole Team over the radio, "Alright, the rest of you can stop picking daisies and get to the APCRV."

He then turned and ran down the halls of the building, followed by a thoughful Seras.

_Next time... I will NOT fail..._

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End of: No one ever makes the first Jump.

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This took a while. I am heading back to Uni in Switerland, and a lot of preparation is required. However, once I am there, I will try and write more. With this and TTOE on my hands, I'll have my work cut out for me.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hoped to bring Seras and the team closer, and to introduce Ferguson in a fair manner. Most of all, I wished to show Seras' Initial hesitation and the relationship and thought processes between Alucard and Integra.


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